End of the Line
by CalypsoAurora
Summary: Steve Rogers thought he lost everyone in his life. He watched his best friend fall to his death, he believed the love of his life was ripped away from his grasp. All that happened years ago, the Barnes siblings were long gone by now. So why do these deadly assassins look so much like them? And why is she protecting him?
1. 00

Steve Rogers lost everyone in his life. He watched as his best friend fell to his death. He broke apart when the love of his life was taken away from him. He thought he lost the Barnes twins so long ago, in another lifetime.

But when he is sent on a mission to retrieve the two deadly assassins, the Winter and the Solider, he can't help but feel something familiar in those cold eyes. Why does he feel like he knows these killers? And why is Winter so protective of him?

* * *

 _ **Characters**_

 **Nina Dobrev** as **Lillian (Lily) Barnes** \- **The Winter**

 _"Everything that has happened is because of me. They didn't name me after winter for nothing."_

 **Chris Evans** as **Steve (Stevie) Rogers - Captain America**

 _"That's where you're wrong. I was in love once, but my heart died with her."_

 **Sebastian Stan** as **James (Bucky) Barnes** **\- The Solider**

 _"I may just be the Solider to them, but I am your brother first. Even if I don't remember."_

* * *

 _ ****I do not own any of the Marvel characters or plots. I only own my character, Lillian Barnes, and any scenes or ideas that I have come up with. All rights to the rightful owner.****_


	2. 01

_Flashback_

If you told Steve Rogers that he would have to watch his best friend fall to death, he would have laughed in your face. If you told Steve that he would have lost his brother, he wouldn't have believed you. But watching James Barnes fall off that icy train into the clutches of the wintery death, Steve also watched his heart shatter. The brutal wind was nothing compared to the feeling of Bucky's fingers slipping through his hold. The howl of the storm was nothing compared to the last yell of his friend.

Yes, losing Bucky Barnes tore his heart clean out of his chest, but telling Lillian Barnes that her brother has died completely broke his soul. Watching her fall to her knees and cry out brought fresh tears to his eyes, and he quickly knelt down beside her to wrap his arms around her body.

"I am so sorry, Lily," he murmured, rocking her small body back and forth. His cries were drowned out by Lillian's heart-wrenching sobs. He didn't know what to do or say that could help her, so he did the best that he could do, which was hold her while she cried.

"Stevie," Lillian cried, grasping his shirt desperately, as if she dug her blunt nails in hard enough into his biceps, it would bring her brother back.

Steve quietly shushed her and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead, rubbing soft circles on her sides. After a few moments of sitting on the ground, he picked her up easily and carried her into her bedroom. He gently laid her down on her mattress and exhaled a long breath. He made a move to stand up, but Lillian grasped his shirt even more at the sudden movement.

"Stevie," she murmured, her eyes focusing on him for the first time since he told her the awful news, "stay, please."

"Of course, sweetheart," Steve murmured as he nodded and slid in the bed beside her, tensing up slightly as Lillian buried her head into his chest. He's never been in a position like this with a woman before, it was new to him. It didn't help that he's been in love with her since he first laid eyes on her, but he forced himself to push all those romantic feelings away as he held onto her as she cried.

"He can't really be gone," she wept, her voice muffled by the Captain America uniform that Steve was still wearing. "Bucky..."

Steve closed his eyes and kissed her forehead once again, whispering soothing words against her soft and pale skin. He knew that there was nothing that could make things better at this moment, the best he could do was tell her how much he cared for her, and that he would always be there.

Eventually he noticed that Lillian had fell asleep, and he relaxed a bit more. He was still hurting from the death of Bucky, but he couldn't comprehend the hurt that Lillian must have been feeling from losing her other half. He took this time to look over her face, wiping her tears away with thumb. He made a vow to always be there for her, no matter what. They were both alone now, so they only have each other.

Steve Rogers couldn't uphold his promise with Bucky anymore, but he could with Lillian. He was going to be with her, until the end of the line.


	3. 02

_Present Day_

Steve woke up from yet another dream of his past, the light that was streaming in from the window temporarily blinding him. He's been having these dreams a lot, dreams about her, about the last moments that he had seen his love.

Before those familiar feelings of despair and guilt consumed him, he swung his legs over the bed to stand up. He glanced at the alarm clock beside on the nightstand, and exhaled a large breath when he realized he was going to be late to training, yet again. These past few months have taken a toll on him. Not only is the anniversary of Bucky's death rapidly approaching, but so is her birthday. Lillian's birthday. His mind has been elsewhere because of this, and he knew the team knew.

"Captain, Miss Romanoff requests your presence in the training room." Jarvis voice rang out, piercing the sullen silence that was starting to fill his room.

Steve just hummed in reply and padded over to his closet to change into clean clothing. He knew that he was going to get yet another earful from her about being late, which was something that was not normal for him, but he found himself just not caring. The loss of the Barnes twins were taking a bigger toll on him this time around than normal, and he couldn't figure out why. Pushing his thoughts away, he tugged on his shirt and walked out of his room, desperately trying to leave his dream behind him so he could focus on training.

* * *

"Steve, you're not even trying," Natasha said as she pinned him to the mat, for the twelfth time that morning. Once she released him, he groaned softly to himself.

"I am, I just... Let's just try again," he said, standing to his feet slowly. Truthfully, his body was aching, and he wanted nothing more than to stop, but he was the team leader, so he felt like he couldn't show his weakness.

Natasha rolled her eyes and let out a huff of breath before nodding her head once. She obviously knew that he was hiding something, it was clearly written all over his face and the way he has been behaving the past few weeks.

"You know, whatever is bugging you... You can talk to me. Lord knows I won't judge," she said as she got into a fighting stance, her eyes watching his movements.

Steve gave a short nod as he planted his feet firmly against the mat.

"Nothing is bugging me, Nat. I just...didn't sleep well," his voice trailed off as he went in to swing his fist, but she effectively blocked that attack.

"Yeah, well, you've been having difficulty sleeping for almost two months now." she pointed out, swinging her legs to try to knock him down but he easily jumped over them. "What gives? This isn't normal for you."

Steve grunted when she landed a punch to his lower abdomen, but he shook it off and aimed a swift kick to the back of her leg.

"It's nothing, really," he said, his mind wandering for a split second. Natasha took that moment and kicked out her legs, bringing him down to the ground once more with a kick.

She shook her head and looked over his body as he let out a defeated sigh, not moving to get up.

"If you won't talk to me, you gotta talk to someone. We can't have you be this distracted," she said, sitting down next to him on the ground. She let the silence fall over them, though Steve didn't let it last long.

"I miss them," he murmured after a few breaths of silence, licking his dry lips. At first, he didn't know if she heard him, but she did.

Natasha knew who he was talking about, she knew what this time of year does to him, but she hasn't seen it hit him this hard before. She was worried, not just because he was a valuable asset to the team and he needed to be on his A-game the whole time, but because they were friends, and she cared for him.

"I miss her," Steve continued, staring up at the ceiling as he started to think of the dreams he has been having. "I miss my best friend. I keep... I keep dreaming about losing him. I keep seeing his face as he fell. I keep hearing her cries when I had to tell her. It's killing me," he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, "I don't know why I'm hurting this much. Usually I can push it to the side but-"

"You shouldn't have to push it to the side Steve," Natasha butted in, cutting him off, "They were your family, and you lost them. You haven't really came to terms with losing them. It's perfectly normal to grieve."

Steve just snorted and sat up, giving her a look of disbelief even though he wanted to believe her. He knew she was right about that, he lost both of them so quickly, and he hasn't dealt with his emotions about it. He kept himself busy so he wouldn't think, but there were secrets he couldn't shoulder anymore.

"Nat, if I tell you something, will you promise to kee-"

He was cut off by Jarvis, the accented AI ending their conversation quickly.

"Captain, Miss Romanoff. Mr. Fury has requested both of you. He says it is urgent."

"Thank you Jarvis," Natasha said, standing up to her feet. She held her hand out it Steve, helping him get up as well. "This conversation," she said, motioning between the two of them, "is not over."

"Of course," Steve said, and let out a breathy laugh as he followed after her.

* * *

"The Winter, and the Soldier," Nick Fury said, tossing a folder to each Natasha and Steve. "Two of the most deadliest HYDRA agents SHIELD has ever come across. I would even say two of the most deadliest assassins that has set foot on this Earth," he gave a short smirk to Natasha before the two Avengers opened up the folders. "As you can see, we don't have much of anything on either of them besides what they have done in the past, but we do know where they are heading next."

Steve raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Nick, mildly interested in what he had to say. The pictures that were offered in the folders were blurry, and the information was very limited, so that didn't give him much to go off on.

"And why does this involve us?" Natasha asked, leaning back in the seat she was sitting in.

"I'm glad you asked Miss Romanoff. I am sending you two into the field to stop them from getting what they want," Nick answered, smiling widely at them.

"And what is it that they are going after?" Steve asked, looking at the pictures again. His thumb swiped against the one labeled _The Winter_ , and he could feel like heart skip a beat.

"That, we don't know yet. We do know that the location they are planning on hitting will be full of politicians and world leaders. Taking them out could cause one or many fights that I would rather not have to deal with, so you two need to stop them before they do anything to cause an uproar."

Nicks voice started to grow fainter as Steve lost track as to what was being discussed around him, his eyes focused on the picture before him. Those eyes, he knew those eyes. There was something about them that made his mind go completely blank, and his breath get caught in his throat. His whole body seemed tense, and Natasha could see something was bugging him.

"Fine, when do we leave?" She asked, wanting to get out of this little meeting as quick as she could so she could figure out what was bugging Steve.

Nick looked at his watch and cleared his throat.

"Will 2 hours be good enough for the both of you?"

Natasha rolled her eyes but nodded her head in agreement. When she looked over at Steve, she noticed that he was still lost in his thoughts, she she kicked his shin to bring him back to the real world.

"Uh, yes, sounds good," Steve said as he jumped back into the present, giving Natasha a side glare. That kick stung a bit.

"Good, now go get ready," Nick said, dismissing them.

Both of the Avengers stood up, taking the folders with him, and left the room. As they were walking down the long hallway, Natasha looked at Steve again.

"You seemed a bit out of it at the meeting back there," she said, her voice soft so nobody would hear them if they were listening in on the cameras in the hallway.

Steve gave her a tight smile and nodded, not wanting to talk about what happened because truthfully, he didn't really know himself.

"Yeah, just tired. I must have zoned out for a bit," he lied, then cleared his throat, "I'll be in my room, I'll come get you when we leave." He gave her a short nod and turned the corner, picking up his pace so he could get to the sanctuary that was his room.

Once he got inside, he quickly shut his door and leaned against it, releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He felt anxious, and guilty that he had lied to Natasha, but he didn't want to explain himself. He didn't know how to even explain his feelings.

He tossed the folder onto his messy bed and ran a hand through his hair, his feet taking him to his dresser. On top, there was a locket necklace, something he kept from his past but was too scared to open it up. He knew what was in, what the pictures were inside. He hasn't changed them since he had first gotten it, and he refused to open it now.

His fingers were shaking slightly as he picked up the locket, his eyebrows furrowing. He was afraid to open it to see their smiling faces stare back at him, almost mocking him. He gently caressed it in his hand and closed his eyes, regaining him composure. He had to push his feelings aside, especially now with this new mission. He put the necklace back in his dresser, where he normally kept it, safe and hidden away. He forgot to do that this morning, since he was in a rush to get to training.

He walked back to his bed and opened up the folder again, staring down at the pictures of both The Winter and the Soldier.

"Jarvis, can you pull up anything you may have on these two assassins that Fury didn't give?" He called out, receiving a short "of course" from the AI before having images and articles pop up before him.

Steve glance at the time and sighed to himself, deciding that he would do as much research as he could about these two before they had to leave for this mission. His gut was twisting, and that anxious feeling washed over him once again as he watched videos play of these two in action.

He couldn't help but feel like he knew them, and that's what scared him.


	4. 03

"Вставай. (Wake up)," a female voice whispered, pulling her brother out of a deep slumber. The long-haired man mumbled a few obscenities under his breath as his eyes cracked open. For him, it was way too early to be up, but after years of waking up at the crack of dawn for hours of horrendous training, he was used to it.

"Нет, уходи (No, go away)," he mumbled, rolling away, which caused his sister to let out a breathy laugh. This was a daily routine for them, he was in no way an early bird like his sister was, even after all these years.

"Вы знаете, что он не допустит этого скольжения. (You know that he will not let that slide)," she said in amusement, shaking her head as she stood up straight. She knew that the guards would come soon to let them out of their cell for their daily training.

" Зима, заткнись (Winter, shut up)," he hissed, cracking his eyes open and slowly sitting up. He rolled his eyes at his sister's laughter as he stood up, though he couldn't stop the small smile that was growing on his face. Though he was a trained weapon, he still was the loving brother to his dangerous sister.

Winter smirked at her brother and nudged him playfully before she walked over to her bed, pulling on her shoes. They were to leave soon for this crucial mission, though she wasn't too worried about it. Their superiors made this task out to be something of quite importance, thought she didn't think much of it. As a team, they have never failed what they have been given to do. She turned towards her brother, wanting to say something but voices coming towards them stopped her.

"Вставай! Нет времени тратить (Get up! There is no time to waste)," a guard said, opening up their cell door to lead them down to the training room.

The Winter and The Soldier walked out of the cell side by side, their faces blank and void of all the previous playfulness emotion from before. Around the HYDRA agents, neither of the Barnes twins acted like family or friends, they behaved like the machines they were brainwashed and trained to be. The guards opened the door for both the assassins, letting inside the training room where agents were waiting for them to give them details of their mission. Evil eyes stared as the twins stood and listened to what they were being told to do, and to not let anyone get in their way.

Neither of them were worried about leaving the field without their mission: Steve Rogers.

* * *

Bullets ricochet off the Soldier's metal arm as he advanced forward to Captain America, smirking at the fear he could see evident in the blonde's man face. He pulled the trigger off his own gun, aiming at the feisty redhead off to the side, the one that was shooting at him. The assassin easily dodged his bullets, but he was serving as a mere distraction before his sister stepped in to take care of the problem.

Winter grabbed Black Widow by the throat and easily tossed her to the side, watching as her small frame crashed into a nearby windshield. Their main focus of this mission was to apprehend Captain America, and she wasn't going to let some _girl_ get in her way. She looked up and watched as her comrade advanced a nervous looking Captain. She wanted to help her brother retrieve their mission, but right now, she had to deal with some pesky details. She turned her focus back to the other female in time to catch the fist that was aimed at her face.

"жалкий (Pathetic)," The Winter said with a smirk, kicking Romanoff in the stomach. She threw her down to the ground and shook her head before speaking again. "Раньше ты был так хорош, что случилось? Эти американцы разрушили вас? (You used to be so good, what happened? Did these Americans ruin you?)."

Natasha laughed to herself before leaning up on her elbows, looking over someone she used to know back in her Red Room days. you are the one they ruined

"Ты тот, кого они разрушили (You are the one they ruined)," she responded, swinging both her legs around to effectively distract the brunette before she quickly stood up. The Black Widow jumped off a nearby car before wrapping her legs around The Winter's neck, bringing her down to the ground.

The Winter hit her head hard against the unforgiving concrete, making dark spots dance around in her vision. At the same time, a splitting headache overtook her senses, and memories came speeding to her. Blue eyes, gentle smiles, heartbreak... It all came at her at once, and she let out a whimper, her eyes closing. The mask she was wearing on her lower half of her face made it hard to breathe, but she made no move to remove it. She remembered something, and she knew this situation she was in was not a good one.

Natasha quickly scrambled away as she watched the younger assassin wither on the ground, her hands tangling in her long hair. Something was happening to her, obviously, but neither of them knew what was happening. The redhead looked over at Steve and The Solider, and clenched her jaw, making a decision to help the other Avenger out and leaving The Winter alone.

The Winter rolled onto her side and looked over at the fight with blurry vision, memories of her past coming back at her. When she recongized just who everyone was, she stood to her feet as quick as she could.

"Stevie..." she mumbled to herself, stumbling into a van. Realization dawned on her, and she knew that she had to save the man she loved. She shook her head and grabbed a nearby weapon that was dropped from the fight. In order to save Steve, she had to make her brother leave the scene. Guilt washed over her as she watched the man that she was in love with almost cower in fear against the man that was once considered his best friend. Of course, neither of them knew. She wasn't even supposed to know, but it seemed like the serums HYDRA forced upon them wore off quickly on her after she hit her head.

Steve grunted as he blocked off punches from the enemy, trying to step to the side to grab his shield. He was defenseless, and he refused to use a gun on someone, so he had to rely on his fighting, which wasn't as to par as his partner. He held up his arm, knowing that he was going to be covered in bruises in the morning, and blocked another punch, though he didn't see the Soldier's leg swing out, kicking him in the back of the knee. He fell down, a small groan escaping his lips. He squinted as he looked up, focusing on the assassin in front of him. He couldn't help but feel like he knew this man, but his lower face was covered by some sort of mask, so he couldn't tell for sure. A sharp kick to his ribs snapped him out of his thoughts, and he grabbed his ankle, twisting it around and causing the man to fall down as well.

Soldier grunted as he twisted his body, causing the fall to be painless and for it to be easier to get up to his feet. He was getting irritated at how hard it was to knock this hero out, he had thought this mission was going to be easy. The brotherly instinct kicked in, and he quickly looked over at his sister, watching as she took down the other Avenger ruthlessly. Standing up taller, he looked down at the hero and shot near his hand when he noticed that he was reaching for his shield.

"он хочет, чтобы он был жив, Солидер (He wants him to be alive, Soldier)," his sister said as she walked towards him, staring down at the Captain. Her voice was strained as she tried to hold in all her emotions.

"это была просто рука (It was just a hand)," he mumbled in response, but slid the gun to his back. He knew the mission, he didn't need to be reminded.

Steve watched them with careful eyes, though he stared at the woman when she spoke. He knew that voice, but he refused to believe it was her. He thought it was just his fatigued mind playing tricks on him. They seemed distracted as they spoke to each other in what he assumed to be Russian, so he slowly reached for his shield. When he felt the cold metal graze against his fingertips, he kicked his leg out, making the woman fall. He grasped his shield and quickly threw it at the male, aiming for the head and succeeding. The Captain rolled away from them and stood up as fast as he could before running to Natasha to check on her wounds.

"I'm fine Steve, it's going to take a few more throws to get me out of the game," Natasha joked, throwing him a grin as she grabbed a spare gun from her hip.

"Yeah, well, it looks like they're ready to throw you some more," Steve retorted as he watched the other assassins stand up and make their way towards them. He heard his friend sigh heavily as she aims her gun up.

"I got Winter, you get Soldier. Yeah?" she asked, receiving a small laugh and a nod from Steve. Instead of waiting for a verbal response, the redhead assassin jumped into action.

Steve ran forward, dodging the first punch from Soldier and picking up his shield. It took some time before he saw an opening to throw the first kick and punch, making the male fly back. When he did, he noticed that the mask he was wearing fell to the ground. At first, he didn't think much of it, but when the assassin turned around, he froze on the spot.

"...Bucky?" Steve asked, his voice barely an audible whisper. No, this wasn't possible. He saw his best friend fall off a train...

The man froze at the name that the Captain has said, his eyebrows furrowing. That name was not familiar to him, but it made his heart skip a beat, and it confused him to no end. Winter noticed the hesitation, which caused her to become distracted. Natasha took this moment to send a kick to her chest, causing the dark haired assassin to lose her breath momentarily as she fell to the ground.

Bucky snapped his head up and let out a small animalistic growl, snapping himself back into the Soldier's mode. He sent a hard punch to Captain America, sending him to the ground again, before running to his sister to help.

While The Soldier was engaging in combat with Black Widow, The Winter stood to her feet and looked around. This wasn't good, she knew that their mission was compromised now that Steve knew who Bucky was, and that he was the one involved with all those attacks and murders. She could easily read Steve's body and facial cues, just like she could in the past.

"Миссия скомпрометирована. Нам нужно идти. (Mission compromised, we need to go)," Winter said to her brother just as he sent Romanoff into the ground.

Soldier looked at her with confusion, not understanding what part has been compromised, but he knew when a battle wasn't going to be won, so he simply nodded. Besides, his identity has been figured out, which wasn't a good thing. He clenched his jaw and grabbed a grenade that he has been saving for an emergency exit. He pulled the pin with his teeth and tossed the grenade underneath a nearby truck before grabbing his sisters hand and fleeing, not noticing how the blonde avenger watched them escape.

The Winter made eye contact with Steve, staring into those blue eyes that she missed dearly, before the grenade was set off, causing a large explosion to happen. She ran with her brother and partner, pushing her feelings to the side.

Steve held his shield up and ducked behind it, blocking himself from the explosion and the fragment pieces flying at him. He stared at the concrete ground as he tried to piece together what he had just witnessed.

"Steve, what the hell was that?" Natasha asked roughly as she finally got her strength back to walk over to him.

"That….that was Bucky," he mumbled, causing the red head to tilt her head.

"Your friend, James Barnes?" she asked, helping him up to his feet, "I thought he died-"

"Yeah, I did too."

"Then why the hell is he alive, working with HYDRA?"

Steve shook his head and looked off in the direction The Winter and The Soldier had ran off to. He didn't know, nor did he understand.

"I don't know, but we need to find him," he said, determination washing over him.

"No," Natasha said immediately, shaking her head, "that is not a good idea. He's a HYDRA assassin! He's dangerous. And by the looks of it, he's not your friend anymore."

"They did something to him!" Steven snapped, facing his friend with anger that she has never seen before. "I need to find him, maybe he'll remember." His eyes flickered over to where the HYDRA agents have run off to again, his mind going back to the familiar female. Who was his friend working with?

Natasha looked over his face as she stayed silent, thinking of what to say and do next. She trusted Steve, with her life, and she would do anything to help him.

"Fine, but Fury and SHIELD cannot know about this," she said after a minute, shaking her head as she started to mumble to herself, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Steve gave her a soft smile and patted her shoulder before speaking, "Thank you," he said softly, looking around at the damage the fight has caused. He knew this road was going to be a difficult one, but he needed to find his friend, no matter what. He was with him until the end of the line, and he wasn't about to break that promise.

* * *

 **Unedited**

 _Hey everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far._

 _Thank you for reading!_


	5. 04

The Soldier was more than aggravated with the turn out of the mission. He had failed, which was something he has rarely done before. His eyes shifted over to his sister who seemed to be even more distraught than him, but he thought it was because it was because she has never actually failed before until now. Little did he know the true reason why The Winter was so broken.

Lillian clenched her jaw as she stared down at her feet, waiting for her superiors to determine their punishments. Her mind was still reeling about theses memories resurfacing, and she wished she could have time to actually dig down into what she was remembering, but she didn't dare to do so in front of these agents, or in front of her brother. She was so scared, a feeling she hasn't felt since she was first taken by HYDRA and was being tortured daily.

Both of the assassins snapped their heads up when they heard heavy footsteps echo towards them, hushed whispers filling the awkward silence that had surrounded the twins since they arrived. Their bodies instantly tensed as they fell under the cold and harsh stare of who was in charge.

"Вы потерпели неудачу (You have failed)," he said, his voice deep and filled with anger, "Можете ли вы объяснить сами? (Can you explain yourselves?)"

The Winter and The Soldier gave each other weary glances, and before her brother could respond, Lillian cleared her throat.

"Мы были скомпрометированы (We were compromised)," she stated, not flinching when she felt that his gaze hardened. " Кажется, капитан- (It seems the Captain-)"

Before she could finished her answer, she felt a hard slap hit across her cheek, and her head snapped to the side. She was used to this, of course, but it didn't make it sting any less. James tensed up and took a step closer to her, but he didn't dare say or do anything that could put him in trouble.

"Я дал вам одну простую вещь, и никто из вас не смог ее завершить (I gave you one simple thing, and neither of you could complete it)," he hissed, becoming more livid as each moment passes.

He looked between the two, noticing that James had moved closer to his sister as if to protect her. Shaking his head, he looked back at the agents and doctors who were waiting on his orders to proceed.

"Возьмите их обоих и положите их (Take them both and put them under)," he ordered, watching as the two siblings were put in cuffs and taken a part. "And, uh, wipe their memories. I don't want to deal with another incident from...her."

Lillian tensed up as she listened to the deeply accented voice, and it made her mind race even more so than what it was before. She didn't understand what he meant by that, and it made her unreasonably angry. She started to fight and struggle against her restraints, but they were powerful enough to stop her from breaking free.

She hated nothing more than those machines that wiped their memories. The pain that she experiences while in there was excruciating, and it was something she didn't want to ever be put through again. James knew this, and he watched his sister with sadness, wanting nothing more to help her. They were painful for him as well, but there was something that it did to Lillian that made it worse.

They were both led into a room where two identical chairs were set up, and Lillian was put in hers first. The agents were not gentle with her, as she was still struggling against their holds. Her doctor filled up a big syringe of light blue liquid and grabbed her arm roughly as he injected the liquid into her veins.

James watched her as he was forced into his own chair, his jaw clenching as he watched her blood vessels pop up, turning the same shade of blue as the serum she was injected with. He watched her wither in the chair in pain when the serum made it's way through her body and the head piece was set on her. She always required extra precautions, she took things differently than he ever did, and that made her more dangerous and unpredictable. The doctors placed his headset over his head, and charged up the machine. The last thing he saw was the pained expression on his sister before he was shocked, his own pain coursing through his body.

Lillian glanced at her brother as her body convulsed under the first wave of shocks the machine, and a small groan escaped her lips. She had always gone through worse treatments than her brother, and that was because everyone thought of her to be stronger than him, mentally. Her body synced up to James' as the machines wrecked havoc on their minds and bodies.

The last thing she saw was the smirk that formed on her doctors face as her eyes rolled back, and an old memory consumed her.

 _Flashback_

Lillian cracked her tired eyes open, sunlight streaming in from the window adjacent from the bed. She was overwhelmed with emotions, but when she felt strong arms tighten around her waist, she felt a bit of sadness slip away though it didn't stay gone for long.

Memories of what Steve had told her a few hours earlier came crashing down, and a wave of sobs came over her. She lost her brother, forever, and the emptiness that filled her heart was something she couldn't take. The slight shaking of Lillian's body as she cried woke Steve up from his uncomfortable slumber, and he let out a soft sigh before pulling her into his body more.

"Lily..." he mumbled, pressing his lips softly her hair. He felt so guilty with what had happened on the train, he felt like Bucky's death was because of him.

Lily turned her small body around so she could face him, her usual bright eyes now dull and full of tears. She looked over Steve's solemn face and shook her head to herself before burying her head into his muscled chest.

"I am so sorry, Lily flower," he continued saying, not letting go of her as they laid there, "This is all my fault. I tried to save him, I really did, but he slipped through my fingers and-"

"Shush," Lillian murmured, looking up at him as she pressed her fingers against his lips to make him stop talking. "This isn't your fault." She didn't blame him for this. While she may not have been there, she knew there was nothing Steve could do to save her brother.

Steve grabbed her hand and gently kissed her fingertips, his eyes shining with unshed tears. He felt slightly better knowing that she didn't put any blame on him for this, but that didn't ease his guilt.

"I could've done more," he mumbled, tracing circles on her back under her shirt. He always did this when he was anxious. Just her presence did wonders to keep him at ease, but with this situation, it almost made it worse.

"You did all you could do, Stevie," she said, relaxing against his gentle touch, "If you did anymore, I could've lost you too. I don't know what I would have done if both of you fell off that train."

Steve licked his bottom lip and looked over her face as he tried to think of what to say next. He knew she was right deep down, and now was not the time for him to argue with her. He knew he had to stay strong for Lillian, for losing a brother had to feel worse than losing a best friend.

"You will never lose me," he said, kissing her forehead. He promised that to her. "You're my precious Lily flower."

Lillian smiled softly at his term of endearment, and she felt her tense body start to relax a bit more at his words.

"I'm holding you to that promise," she said with a soft laugh, smiling more when he kissed her nose.

"I love you Lily, of course I promise that."

Lillian hummed at those words and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. Its been a long time since they had kissed, because they have been hiding their relationship from everyone, especially Bucky.

Steve squeezed her sides gently as he kissed her back, smiling back at her when she pulled away. He loved her more than he has loved anything in his life, and he would do anything to make her happy again. He opened his mouth to start talking to her again, but Lillian couldn't hear anything.

She watched his mouth move, but she couldn't hear anything besides a low buzzing noise. Her body started to shake, and soon she felt lightweight. She tried to say something to Steve, but it felt like her essence was ripped away from her body painfully.

 _End of flashback_

Lillian gasped as she awoke from whatever dream state she was in. For a brief moment, she felt anxious and upset all over again, but the mindset of The Winter quickly overtook her. Soon, any memory or emotion she felt about the past and present was stripped away from her.

" Зима (Winter)," a harsh deep voice said, making her snap her eyes up. "Готовы ли вы к следующей миссии (Are you ready for your next mission?)?"

"Да (Yes)."

An evil smirked overtook his face and he stood up straight.

"Хорошо. Проснитесь за своего брата и приступайте к работе (Good, wake up your brother and get to work)."

The Winter nodded and stood up from her chair, her brown eyes hardening as she made her way over to her brother to shake him awake. His blue eyes opened, and they narrowed at the determined look on her face.

"Get up Soldier. We need to get the Captain."

* * *

 **Unedited**.

 _Thank you so much for reading! I love comments, so please leave them!_


	6. 05

Steve sat on his bed, his unfocused eyes staring off into space. His mind was still reeling over the events that had happened between him and the assassins. He couldn't believe that James Barnes, his Bucky, was still alive. He couldn't believe that his Bucky was helping HYDRA, and was his enemy.

He couldn't believe he was _alive_.

Natasha sighed heavily as she leaned against Steve's doorway, watching the helpless Captain as he got lost in his thoughts. She knew how messed up this situation made him, because she knew how important James Barnes used to be to him. Well, how important he is.

"Steve," she said, sighing softly when he looked over at her with sad eyes.

"He didn't recognize me," he murmured, his voice breaking.

Natasha nodded and walked over to him, sitting down on his bed beside him. She rubbed his back gently and looked over his face, trying to find the correct words to say that could help him feel better.

"Maybe...we can try to fix him. HYDRA is controlling him, he isn't in control of his mind or body. It wasn't his fault," she said, licking her bottom lip.

Steve shook his head, barely comprehending the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"He looked right at me, and he didn't even know me," he said in a defeated sigh.

Natasha sighed heavily again and looked down at her lap, her hand dropping. She hated seeing her friend so broken like this, it wasn't right. Steve Rogers was too good to be this unhappy and broken, but seeing how easily he got like this, it made her wonder how broken he actually was.

"It doesn't help the anniversary of his death...well..." Steve ran a hand down his face and laughed bitterly to himself before continuing, "The anniversary of his fall is in a few days. I was already so..." He waved his hand aimlessly as his voice trailed off again, and he closed his eyes as a long breath escaped him.

"Sad?" Natasha offered when he didn't finish his sentence.

"Yeah," he whispered, finally looking over at her for the first time since she has walked in. He was so incredibly sad, no, he was so depressed. Bucky was his best friend, and seeing him again for the first time in over seventy years screwed with his mind so much. They were silent for a few minutes before he quickly stood up, startling Natasha.

"Nat, what are we going to do? We have to find him, we have to bring him back," he said, pushing away his sadness and finding new determination. Natasha was instantly nervous with how determined he seemed to find James.

"Steve, I support you, 100%, but...maybe we should think this through," she said, standing up beside him. She wanted to help him, but they had to be smart about this.

Steve sighed and nodded, knowing that she was being right and rational. He wanted Bucky back, but they had to make sure that they did this right and safe. He's dangerous, and he knew that SHIELD and other forces are looking for him to lock him away, so he had to make sure their plan was fool proof.

"Yeah, yeah...you're right," he said as he sat back down on the bed, all his energy sucked out of him. He felt incredibly tired now, and wanted to sleep off his emotions.

Natasha gave him a small smile and rubbed his arm softly before she headed towards the door.

"Take a rest, Captain. I'll start looking for him," she said, watching him as he fell back on the bed, his eyes closing.

"Thank you Nat," he said softly, rolling onto his side so his back was facing the door. Natasha turned off the lights before she left, letting Steve relax into his bed.

He closed his eyes and started to think about the happier times, where he had the twins in his life, and he never went a day without laughing or smiling. He relaxed more, a soft smile appearing on his face as flashes of Bucky and Lily appeared in his mind.

Soon, he started to doze off, clutching onto his last happiness in his dreams.

 _Flashback/Dream_

"Oh, Stevie," a high pitched voice said in a mockingly, causing Steve to roll his eyes but smile lightly to himself.

"Jamie, stop mocking me!" Lillian said, pushing her brother as she passed him so she could sit on the couch. Her face was red from embarrassment as her brother just laughed at her.

"Yeah, _Jamie_ ," Steve added, sitting on the couch beside Lillian as Bucky narrowed his eyes at him from the nickname.

"I thought we were past that name guys, come on," Bucky said, huffing to himself as he sat in an armchair beside the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ohhh no. I think that name will stick around, for a very long time," Steve said, pressing his leg gently against Lillian's in a way that wasn't obvious to her brother. He felt like he needed to be as close to her as possible, it calmed him down and made him feel better.

Bucky sighed heavily and shook his head at his friend.

"You know, I thought you were supposed to be on my side, not hers," he said, whining softly as Steve laughed some more at his pouting tactics.

"I'm always on your side, pal," Steve responded, smiling even more when Bucky stuck his tongue out at Lily.

"Jamie, you're such a child, you know that?" Lillian said, rolling her eyes though she gently pressed her leg against Steve's as well.

"Well, sweetheart, it takes one to know one," he shot back, not noticing the subtle flirting the two were doing.

Lillian huffed out a sigh and looked at Steve, pouting out her bottom lip at him. She found it amusing that it was easy to pit the two best friends against each other just by giving Steve a look. Steve looked over her face, his heart skipping a beat at just how beautiful she was. He let out a long breath and looked at Bucky, who glared at Lillian.

"Buck," he started to say, but was cut off by the brunette male.

"No! This isn't fair! All she does is give you that...that look, and she has you hooked," he whined, which made Lillian burst out laughing. "God, you're so pretty it makes me sick."

"Someone had to be pretty, and it was obviously not you," Lillian shot back, which made Steve laugh again.

Steve watched the two siblings banter back and forth to each other, their voices becoming a background buzzing noise. He had the same smile on his face that he has been wearing since he entered the Barnes household, and he actually felt happy, even with all the war ruckus going on in their lives.

His eyes settled on Lillian, and he smiled a bit more. As sappy as it was, she was the light in his life. Yes, Bucky may be a lifeline for him, but Lily was everything to him. He wished that they could be together publicly, but both of them agreed that this wasn't the time for them to come out. But staring at Lillian smiling and laughing with her brother made him feel bubbly and happy, and he wanted to shout his love from the rooftop.

He turned his attention to Bucky and sighed heavily to himself, his thoughts and memories from present time coming forward and poisoning his emotions. Soon, his dream started to shift, and the once friendly James Barnes turned into what he had fought. His hair grew, and his face twisted in anger.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to his side, only to see that Lillian had disappeared. He snapped his head back at Bucky, their surroundings melting into darkness as Barnes started to stalk towards him, carrying a large gun.

"Bucky!" He said, falling to the ground as the couch disappeared underneath him, and started to scout back as quickly as he could. He no longer had the bright look in his eyes, he now had a murderous look twisted on face.

Instead of answering, James Barnes marched forward and aimed his gun, wasting no time in pulling the trigger.

Steve rolled to the side and quickly got up, getting in a defensive stance. He didn't have his shield, or anything to defend or deflect these bullets.

"Buck! It's me," he said, putting his hands up and in front of him in a way of a truce, "C'mon pal, we were just-"

James shot his gun again, grazing Steve in the leg because he couldn't move to the side fast enough. He grunted softly but didn't go down. It wasn't in his nature to stand down. He wanted to fight back, but he knew that underneath that Soldier exterior was his best friend, so he refused to hurt him in any way. The Soldier smirked and lowered his gun, which made Steve think that maybe he was giving up on hurting him, but instead he aimed somewhere else as quick as he could, and fired.

Steve whipped around just in time to see an individual fall to the ground. He took once glance at his friend before rushing forward, pulling the person into his lap. It took a moment, but once the light hit their face, his heart dropped.

"Lily?" He whispered, his voice barely audible, blood rushing in his ears.

He was holding a bloodied Lillian Barnes in his arms, and it was the most devastating thing he has ever seen. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and looked over her face, his breaths becoming labored.

"Oh god, no, no, please," he begged, tears prickling his eyes as he watched her eyes flutter close and her breathing stop. This was his worst nightmare. He was holding his dead lover in his arms, who was shot by her own brother.

He started to cry softly, his shoulders shaking as he tried to wake Lily up gently, though he knew it was pointless. He didn't notice that Bucky had come closer to him until he felt the barrel of his gun press against the back of his head.

He tensed up but he didn't bother moving. He felt helpless as he held Lily in his arms, blood pooling around the both of them. He didn't flinch when he heard the gun click. He didn't flinch when he heard the low chuckle come from behind him from his once best friend. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Lily closer to him, waiting for the end to finally come.

He counted to five before he heard the gun go off, and he felt weightless.

 _End of flashback/dream_

Steve awoke with start and quickly sat up, his body sticky with sweat. He was breathing heavily, and his arms were shaking, and he felt absolutely terrified. He looked around, feeling like he was still in his dream, before he kicked the covers off his body to get out of the bed.

Running a hand through his damp hair, he walked to the light switch to turn on the lights. He looked around once more, making sure that there wasn't anything or anyone there to try to kill him, and he sighed heavily. He couldn't get the image of Lily out his mind, and he felt like he had to throw up. With a soft shake of his head, he walked to the attached bathroom in his room and looked at himself in the mirror.

His face was pale and sickly, and his hair was damped down by the slick sweat that covered his whole body. His eyes were dull and full of pain, and he hated the way he looked. He looked like death, and he felt like death.

He turned on the cold water in his sink and cupped his hands under the running water so he could splash some in his face. He flinched when his eyes closed and he saw all that blood come from the bullet wound on Lily, and he quickly stood up straight. He knew that he wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon.

He walked back to his bed and sighed heavily as he sank down. The clock read 3:34 in the morning, which made him groan softly to himself. Dragging his hand through his hair one last time, he laid back down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He was trying to think of anything else besides his nightmare, which proved difficult to do.

" _Fuck_..." he cursed, his voice soft and broken. He was broken, and he didn't know what to do to fix himself.

He needed to find Bucky, and he needed to get his best friend back. No matter what.

Unedited

 _Thanks for reading! Leave a comment!_


	7. 06

The Winter sent another punch towards her brother, who easily dodged the attack. She let out a soft huff of irritation and narrowed her eyes at him, recollecting her thoughts. Even though they were just training at the moment, she wanted to beat him. She usually won their little fights, but every once in a while, she was off and he would get the upper hand. Ever since she woke up from the Memory Suppressing Machine a few hours ago, she had a feeling that she just couldn't shake off, and it was dulling her skills.

"Сестра, тебе становится все хуже ( **Sister, you are getting worse** )," The Soldier said, giving her a smirk as they started to circle each other.

"Возможно, это часть плана, брат ( **Perhaps this is part of the plan, brother** )," she responded, trying to get inside his head. Ever since they both had started training under HYDRA, she had always been the deceiving one since she wasn't as physically strong as her brother, even though they both had the same serum coursing through their bodies.

The Soldier tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrow, his smirk faltering a bit when she aimed for his legs. He put up a quick defense, leaving a spot near is side open. In a quick moment, she quickly sent a swift kick to his side, sending him onto his knees. She wrapped her legs around his neck and sent him down on the mat, grabbing his arms and pinning them above his head to put him in a choke-hold.

"Ты снова, выиграл ( **Okay, you won, again** )," he said, patting her thigh as a sign of giving up. He lost once again, something that he was used to when he trained against her.

The Winter laughed softly and let him go, laying down on her back to relax with a long sigh. She felt her brother lay down beside her, their arms brushing slightly.

"We have to go against the Captain soon," he reminded her softly, closing his eyes briefly. They rarely got moments to just do nothing, so he was soaking in this time.

"I know," she murmured, licking her bottom lip, "He seemed to know you earlier, do you know why?"

The Soldier snorted and shrugged a shoulder. He didn't know, nor did he care much. The Captain was merely another mission to him, and as an assassin, he was sure that the Avengers would recognize him.

The Winter glanced over at him and studied his face, smiling softly at how de-stressed he was at this moment. It was something she hasn't seen in some time. Feeling eyes on him, The Soldier cracked open one of his eyes and looked over at her, a soft smile forming on his lips.

"What is it?" he asked, slowly sitting up.

"Nothing," she muttered, watching him with amusement glittering in her eyes.

"Nothing..." he repeated, shaking her head at his sister, "How about we make a game out of this mission?"

"A game? How so, brother?"

"Whoever gets the Captain first, wins. Loser has to do whatever the winner wants for...a week."

The Winter sat up and looked down at her brother, her smile turning into a sinister grin.

"Game on."

* * *

Back at the Avenger tower, Steve Rogers had finally come out of his room around mid-day. He still looked pale and a little sick, but if anyone noticed, they didn't mention anything. He felt a pair of eyes watching him, but he chose to ignore it as he walked to the kitchen area. He desperately wanted some sort of caffeine to wake himself up more.

"So Captain, a little spider told me that you got your ass handed to you but some assassins," Tony Stark said as he entered the room, grinning softly at his teammate.

Steve sighed heavily and looked over at Stark with a bored expression. He glanced at Natasha, who was giving Tony a hard look from her position on the couch.

"You know, Stark, I would rather not talk about that at this moment," he said, giving him a sarcastic smile as he sat at the table.

Tony hummed and walked over to him, liking that Steve for once was bantering back with him.

"I would rather talk about this, though. How did it feel to get the stars spangled outta ya?"

Steve snorted humorlessly and shook his head, taking a long drink of his coffee. He didn't respond right away, but he gave Tony a small smile. Though this man was egotistical and annoying, sometimes he amused him.

"Felt about the same as it did back in the day," he answered after a minute, which made Tony laugh to himself. Though he didn't necessarily understand what he meant, Natasha did. She knew that knowing that Bucky was out there alive was taking a toll on Steve, she could see it in his dull eyes.

Before Tony could respond with something witty, the lights in the tower flickered once before completely shutting off. He furrowed his eyebrows and stood up, looking around.

"Jarvis, check for breach," he said, both of the other Avengers standing up as well when Jarvis didn't respond. "Jarvis?" Tony said again, sighing heavily when he was greeted with silence.

"Alright boys, time to suit up," Natasha said, walking briskly to the table to grab the gun she has taped underneath for moments like this.

Steve nodded and ran off to the hallway and to his room to grab his shield while Tony pressed a button on his watch which activated his suit to come to him.

A blast sounded from the lower level of the tower, causing the floor to shake and some pieces from the ceiling fall around them. Tony's helmet slid shut just as gun fire rained on them from the big window, glass and bullets flying everywhere.

Natasha dodged the first few bullets as she threw herself behind the kitchen counter. She heard Tony mutter to himself before another explosion went off, this time right across the room from her. Smoke quickly filled the room, and she couldn't see much more that an arms length away. Cocking her gun, she stood up slowly, ready for an enemy to rush at her. Just as she saw a figure of a woman approach her, a whiz flew by her head and a flash of blue took down the figure.

Steve quickly rushed to Natasha and checked over her silently to make sure she wasn't hurt before he ran to where he threw his shield. All he could hear was gun fire and the sound of Tony's blasters going off, so he couldn't hear the footsteps come up behind him.

The Soldier raised his gun and hit the Captain in the back of the head, his eyes dark. He watched as the other man fell down, though he twisted around quickly to see his attacker. The Captain's eyes widened and he scrambled to his feet, his hands up in front of his body just as The Soldier aimed his gun at his chest.

"Bucky! It's me!" Steve said in a desperate voice, trying to reach to his friend somehow. When his friend made no reaction to the nickname and instead pulled the trigger, he threw himself on the ground and away from the assassin, almost disappearing in the smoke that was still surrounding them.

Steve was looking for the familiar bright colors of his shield as well as trying to get away from his murderous and brainwashed best friend. His hand reached out for the shield at the same time The Winter grabbed it, and she pulled it away from him. Unlike Bucky, she had a mask covering the lower half of her face still, so Steve didn't recognize her.

She held the shield in front of herself, her eyes lighting up in amusement as she watched the Captain stand up straight. Luckily for her, other HYDRA agents were keeping Tony Stark and the Black Widow busy, so it was just her and the Captain. She wanted to win this game, she wanted to beat her brother so badly.

"Listen, ma'am. I don't want to hurt you," Steve said, slowly reaching for his shield, "I don't hit ladies, but I do need that back. Please."

The Winter tilted her head to the side as she watched him get closer, he body tensing up as she got ready for an attack. Just as his fingers grazed the metal, she quickly brought the shield up and hit him in the face, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Well, lucky for me then," she replied as Steve brought his hand up to his bleeding nose. He furrowed his eyebrows at her voice, and his heart skipped a beat. She sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

The Winter took his hesitation to throw his shield at him, aiming for his chest and hitting him effectively. He went down straight onto his back, his breath leaving his body. She slowly walked over to him and stepped on his abdomen, trapping him underneath her foot. She pulled out her gun from her thigh holster and pointed it at his head, but just as she was about to pull the trigger, she got in in the back with a blast. Her body flew over Steve's and she landed on the table, breaking the wood and causing her see black dots due to the hard fall on her head.

Steve let out a long breath and sat up, accepting Tony's hand to help him onto his feet. He glanced around, noticing that the smoke was clearing. He saw the fallen agents from the other side, but those numbers didn't matter much when he saw how much were still standing, including his friend who was firing at Natasha. He gripped his shield tightly before throwing it in his direction, knocking the gun out of his hands and causing the assassins attention to draw to him instead.

"C'mon Buck," he said to himself, walking towards him just as The Soldier was walking towards him. He was determined to get his friend back.

The Winter groaned softly to herself as he head started to pound relentlessly and painfully. Memories flashed in her mind, causing her to close her eyes so the lights wouldn't made this migraine worse. The pain maybe lasted a few seconds before everything came rushing back to her.

Bucky.

The fighting.

Steve.

 _Steve_.

She snapped her head over to where the fight was still going on and she quickly stood to her feet. She had to stop her brother from killing him. She had to save both of her boys.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Sorry for the late update! I have been without WiFi for a week because Time Warner sucks._

 _Enjoy!_


	8. 07

Lillian took a moment to asses the situation around her, worry clawing at her stomach. She saw Natasha fighting off a handful of HYDRA assassins as well as Tony fighting some off. She wasn't too worried about them, since they seemed to be handing themselves better than she thought. She turned her attention to Steve and Bucky though, and that's where she started to tense up.

Bucky was throwing multiple punches at Steve, many of them making contact with the Captain. Steve was bloodied and bruised since he couldn't bring himself to hit his friend back, he didn't even have the energy to defend himself properly because he was scared that he would hurt his best friend. One punch sent Steve to his knees, and he started to spit out blood when his mouth was getting full.

"Bucky..." Steve murmured, holding his hands up in defeat, "I'm not going to fight you, you're my pal."

The Soldier froze for a moment and stared at the Captain, who looked to be covered in blood. He was usually emotionless during missions, but the word "pal" made him tense and freeze in his spot like a child. For some reason, that made his stomach twist and he started to feel _something_.

Steve noticed his hesitation and relaxed slightly onto his knees, looking over his face to find anything that made him think that maybe his friend was coming back. Though, this hesitation lasted maybe only a split moment before he saw Bucky lean down and pick up a fallen gun.

The Soldier pushed away any sort of feelings that were rising when he was looking at the Captain and picked up a nearby gun, aiming for his head. Before he could fire, a body pushed between the both of them.

"Bucky!" Lillian said, her voice slightly muffled by the mask she was still wearing as she stepped in between them.

Steve released the breath he didn't know he was holding and watched the other assassin get in between them, confused as to what was happening. Why did the assassin call him by the nickname that only Steve called him by? And her voice... it sounded familiar again, but he couldn't place it.

The Soldier kept his gun aimed up as he watched his sister, his usual dark and void eyes showing his own confusion. He clenched his jaw and glanced behind her at the Captain, anger coursing through him. Was this her way of throwing their little game?

"Winter, move," he hissed, clutching his gun a bit more tightly.

"Bucky," she said softer this time, taking a step forward with her hands up as to not piss him off any more than she knew that he was.

The Soldier shook his head and lowered his gun, making Lillian think that he was coming to his senses and listening to her, but it was quite the opposite. He glared at her before roughly shoving her to the ground with his arm. The few seconds that she was down, he aimed his gun once again and started firing at the Captain.

Steve got shot in the leg then the thigh before he could roll out of the way, grunting as he landed on the wounds. He glanced between the two assassins before reaching for his shield once more to defend himself from the bullets.

In a blink of an eye, Lillian pulled herself up and ripped off her mask, tossing it to the side as she shoved herself once again in front of her brother, blocking Steve's whole body from Bucky. She was breathing heavy from that push, and from the adrenaline that was pulsing through her veins.

" _Jaime!_ " she said, her voice loud and stern. She hasn't used that nickname since the forties, before he left for the war. Her voice made Steve freeze, his eyes widening. It made Bucky go rigid and he stopped, staring at his sister with furrowed eyebrows.

"Lily...?" Steve murmured to himself, watching her back tense. He only knew one person who called James Barnes by that name, and it was his sister. This couldn't be possible. She was dead, she was taken before he went in the ice. How could she be here, now?

Lillian didn't dare turn around in fear of facing Steve, so she stared forward, watching her older brother.

"James Buchanan Barnes, you put that gun down right now," she continued, using her stern sister voice that has never failed her.

Bucky hesitated before he slowly lowered his gun to his side, letting it slip from his fingers and fall to the ground. He was still confused as to what was going on, and why his sister was compromising this mission, but the tone of her voice triggered something in his head, and he felt obligated to do what she told him.

Lillian slowly put down her arms at the same rate and exhaled a long breath. Once she knew that he wasn't going to hurt Steve, she slowly turned around, facing someone she never thought she would ever see again. Once they made eye contact, she felt as if her heart has ceased beating, and her face felt hot.

Steve stared at her, realization finally washing over him. This was her, this was his Lily. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly stood to his feet. His injuries and pain was shoved to the back of his mind as he stared into those chocolate eyes again. The feeling of home washed over him, something he hasn't felt since the last night they had spent together all those years ago.

"Lily..." he said again, his mouth open to ask more question like _how_ and _why_ , but nothing came out. He was speechless, much like he had been when he realized that Bucky was still alive, but this felt different.

Lillian gave him a weak smile and nodded. She didn't know what to say either, but it seemed that the small gesture was enough for Steve. He too a step forward to gran a hold her, but everything seemed to slow down in an instant.

Tony, unknowing as to what was going on, sent a blast at the two assassins, causing both of them to tumble backwards. Since the blast had intentionally hit Lillian, she took most of the energy, and that momentum sent her tumbling over to the open window.

Steve's eyes widened and he didn't hesitate to rush over to her, panic setting in his bones. He felt that there was no way in hell he was going to lose her. Not now, not again, not when he just got her back.

At the same time, Bucky had reached the window first since he was shot closer. He reached his hand out and grabbed her wrist. Though he was angry and lost, he wasn't going to lose his sister. He would rather die first before that would happen. His jaw clenched as he tried to pull her up, but there was bullets raining above his head, making it hard to keep a hold of her.

Steve kneeled down beside Bucky and grabbed onto Lillian as well, helping him pull her up. He felt the other mans eyes on him as he helped pull her up, but his focus was on saving her.

"Tony! Stop your fire!" he yelled over his shoulder, knowing that he was thinking that he was helping, but he was doing quite the opposite. "Nat!" he needed her to take out the HYDRA agents that were still firing at them as well, and he hoped that just saying her name was enough for her to know.

Long agonizing second passed before the both of the men had pulled Lillian up and back inside the building safely. The air was eerily still and silent as the last fallen HYDRA agents hit the floor, their bodies scattered throughout the tower. Bucky had Lillian in his arms, and he was watching the Avengers with guarded eyes. He didn't know what game his sister was playing at, and he didn't like the way they were all looking and studying them.

Tony landed near Steve, who was still watching Lillian with wide eyes. He glanced between the two assassins, then looked up at Natasha with a raised eyebrow.

"Mind filling me in, Cap?" he asked, knowing that there were some secrets.

Steve released a long sigh and fell back, sitting on the floor across from his past. He shook his head, not believing that they were in this situation, before he let out a humorless laugh.

"Tony, this is James and Lillian Barnes."

* * *

Unedited

 _Enjoy another chapter! I still don't have wifi :(_

 _Please leave comments! I love them._


	9. 08

Bucky held onto his sister more tightly as he looked between the three Avengers, trying to find a way to get them out of this situation. He didn't know why she had basically sabotaged their mission, but he had full trust in her, so he didn't quite fight this...yet. Besides, something about the way the Captain was looking between the two of them seemed familiar, and his stomach was twisting as he was trying to remember what he didn't know.

"Hold on, you mean the same Barnes that you grew up with in the old days?" Tony asked, analyzing the two assassins in disbelief. He didn't quite believe that, because what are the odds that three friends were still kicking it all these years.

Steve nodded slowly, looking over Bucky's protective stance over his sister as the two slowly stood to their feet. He followed suit, and took a step forward to the twins, but Bucky clenched his jaw and pulled his sister closer to him. It was obvious that he still didn't know who he was, but Lillian did. He turned his attention to her instead, sighing softly to himself. He still didn't know what to say to either of them, what could he even say?

"Do you remember me?" Steve asked softly to Lillian, taking no notice to how Bucky had tensed up when he spoke to his sister.

"Yes," she responded with a slight nod, her voice soft and almost scared. She hated the way Stark was studying her, as if this was all a ruse and she would attack them at any moment.

Steve relaxed and smiled softly at her, tears springing in his eyes. He was so happy, so _relieved_ that she was okay and alive, and she was here.

"Are you... How did..." he couldn't quite form sentences, but the small grin that was forming on Lillian's face made him smile a bit more.

Lillian shifted her eyes to the three that were staring her down before giving him a small shrug. She honestly couldn't remember much, her memories were hazy and confusing.

Steve sighed softly and looked at Bucky, and just as he was about to ask him a question, the tower started to shake. The three Avengers looked confused, and Natasha cocked her gun so she was ready for another fight if it was coming. Tony slid his helmet back on and gave the two assassins a once over before he headed to the broken glass window to look at what was happening.

"Keep an eye on those two, Cap. There's more agents coming, and I don't think they're here for us," Stark said, watching as HYDRA came into the tower. Another shake of the building almost sent him out of the window, but he stopped himself. "And I don't think they're leaving without those two."

Steven clenched his jaw and grabbed his shield, his eyes hardening as he prepared himself for this attack. There was no way he was letting these two escape from him again, not when he just found out they're alive.

"Can you go take any out before they get in?" He asked Stark, who just gave him a curt nod before flying out of the window to deal with the agents.

Natasha gripped her gun a bit tighter and walked over some of the previous fallen agents before speaking up.

"He's right, Steve. They're here for them, not us. They will do anything to make sure they return with HYDRA, they're too valuable to let go."

Steve frowned to himself as those words sunk in, and he let out a long breath before nodding in agreement.

"Then we make sure they don't return," he said in his authoritative tone, "No way I am letting these two go." He sent a look over to Lillian, who seemed to be whispering softly to her brother.

"Мы не можем допустить, чтобы капитан пострадал ( **We can't let the Captain get hurt** )," she whispered to her brother before she pulled away, making eye contact with Steve. She wasn't going to let him suffer because of them.

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at her, not understanding why she wanted to just abandon their mission like this.

"Сестра, я не понимаю вашего изменения отношения. Он должен пойти с нами ( **Sister, I don't understand your attitude change. He must come with us** )," he responded, shaking his head as he slowly dropped his defensive hold around her.

" Брат ( **Brother.** ). No, he's staying, we're going. Trust me, please? Just this once," she said soft enough so Steve wouldn't hear them.

Bucky looked over her face, trying to understand what her plan was exactly. After a second of hesitation, he nodded, and looked over at the Captain.

At that moment, the door busted down, and a flood of agents who were more equipped than before barged in, firing blindly into the room in hopes to confuse and hit someone in their way. Natasha took out a few of the first ones that came into the room easily, hiding behind a nearby wall. She would help Steve, no matter what, and if that meant protecting these two assassins that she used to know, then that's what she will do.

Bucky picked up his fallen gun and lifted it up as he stepped in front of his sister as protection. He didn't fire though, he was just watching to find an opening for them to run and get out of this building. Lillian slowly slipped from her brothers side, watching the fight as well. She knew she had to leave, to protect her love.

More and more agents fled into the room, and even though Natasha was firing her gun and Steve was throwing his shield and fighting, it seemed these agents just didn't go down. They seemed to be overrun very quickly, and Steve started to panic when he lost sight of both Bucky and Lillian. In that short moment where he was distracted, an agent hit him in the leg, right where he was shot a little bit ago. He went down with a grunt and held up his arms in preparation of an attack, but when nothing came, he looked up with a frown.

Lillian had sent a punch to the agents jaw, knocking him out before he could hurt Steve. She looked down and smirked at Steve's surprised expression before kneeling down beside him, giving his wound a once over before she helped him stand up.

"You okay?" she asked softly, not letting go of his hand.

Steve gave her a short nod and pulled her into his body quickly, giving her a tight hug. He didn't really think about it, he just wanted to hold her again, feel her body heat. He missed it.

Lillian hugged him back and sighed softly to herself, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her at this moment. She wanted nothing more to stay here, and remember everything about Steve Rogers, but she knew she couldn't. She slowly pulled away and gave him a smile.

"C'mon Captain, we got work to do," she said softly, kissing his cheek softly before slipping away from him to fight her way out of here.

Steve watched her walk away, his cheek on fire where she had placed her lips. He missed that feeling, and he was going to fight to make sure he would never lose this happiness again. Grabbing his fallen shield a few feet away, he got back to the mission at hand, taking down HYRDA agents as they came in.

Lillian made her way to the edge of the room, a lone tear trailing down her cheek. She met up with Bucky at the door, who was talking to a few of the agents. He was telling them they were getting out of here, but they needed this distraction to continue while they made their escape. He glanced over and frowned when he saw his sister wipe her cheek, and he immediately got angry. He nodded once at the agents before rushing to her side, grabbing her arms softly.

"Who made you cry?" he hissed, pulling her close when an agent was thrown against the wall from Stark, who had flown back into the room to help.

Lillian laughed softly at her brother's misplaced anger, and shook her head.

"No one, Jaime. Let's go, yeah?" She wanted to leave quickly before she convinced herself to stay any longer.

Bucky kissed her forehead softly before grabbing her hand with his metal one, leading her out of the room as quick as they could. Running down the stairs of the crumbling tower was the only thing on his mind now, while Lillian had millions of thoughts racing through her own.

She gave one glance back, her heart aching silently. Giving her brother's hand a hard squeeze, she looked forward. Once they were both out of the tower, they met up with one of the vans and quickly got in. She stared at her hands as they drove away, refusing to look up at the Avengers tower. She had to leave, for Steve.

Once The Winter and The Soldier had safely evacuated the tower, the agents were called off from the attack, and the remaining ones were quick to leave the fight. The three Avengers watched with confused expressions as they all fled.

"Are they...leaving?" Stark asked, landing on his feet beside Steve.

Steve licked his lips and looked around, feeling unsettled when he couldn't see Bucky or Lillian.

"Where are they?" he asked softly, his body tensing up, "Nat? Where are they?"

Natasha looked around, breathing heavily and wiping some blood from the corner of her mouth. She lost track of them a few minutes ago due to the surprising amount of HYRDA agents that had come in.

"I don't see them, Steve," she said, walking over to the Captain who was starting to panic.

"I can't lose them," Steve said, shaking his head over and over again. He was starting to feel like he was going into a panic attack, which was something he hasn't experienced since he got out of the ice and introduced to the new world. He clenched his jaw tightly and threw his shield at the wall with a short yell out of anger. He just got them back!

"Steve, you need to calm down," Natasha said, keeping her voice calm and soft. She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her, "Deep breaths, okay? With me. That's right, just concentrate on breathing."

Steve breathed along with Natasha, trying to subdue his anxiety. Tony watched from a few feet away with a frown. He knew that these twins were once important to him, but watching his friend freak out this much, he clearly didn't realize just how important these two Barnes twins were to him.

Natasha gave Steve a small smile when he seemed to have calmed down a bit to be rational. She gave him a small nod, which he returned, before dropping her hands.

"I need to get them back," he said softly, the other two Avengers barely hearing him, "I made them a promise, that I would be with them. I can't go back on that, not now."

Tony and Natasha exchanged a look before the Widow released a short breath.

"You already know I'm on your side."

Steve smiled gratefully at her before glancing at Tony, who stepped out of his suit.

"You really care about them don't you?"

"More than you know," Steve responded.

Tony gave him a nod, "Then I guess I'll help too."

* * *

 **Unedited**

 _Is this story okay so far? Share your thoughts!_


	10. 09

Bucky was staring at his sister the whole ride back to the facility, his eyebrows furrowed and confusion etched on his face. He didn't quite understand why she had stopped him from completing their mission, or why the Captain seemed to know them on a personal level. A small part of him, however, felt like he knew exactly why Steve Rogers and his sister behaved the way they did, but for some reason, it seemed like it was locked away.

Lillian was staring down at her hands, lost in her own trail of thoughts. She felt heartbroken, especially after leaving Steve like they did. She knew how much he was hurting, and it made her hurt even more. A heavy sigh escaped her silently, and she looked up at her brother, meeting his intense gaze. She had no answers for him, he didn't remember like she did. She didn't even know how she remembered to be honest. It was like that hit on her head broken down some sort of barrier, and memories flooded in blindly.

After a moment, she forced herself to look away, unable to take the hard look he seemed to be giving her. The stare didn't go unnoticed by the agents that were also in the van with him, and she knew they were both in trouble once they get back.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned back, instead focusing on the memories that she was remembering before they were forcibly stripped away from her. She saw Steve's face flash in her mind, his bright eyes shining happily as his laugh echoed in her mind. He seemed happy in most of her memories, and it made a small grin appear on her face.

 _Flashbacks_

 _Lillian felt Steve's breathy laugh against the back of her neck as he held onto her tighter, his fingers digging softly into her hips. She felt so incredibly happy to just lay in bed in his arms, and she felt at home._

 _"You know Buck is due to be back in about a half hour, sweetheart," he murmured against her, his lips brushing softly against skin. He knew that their sneaking around and all their touching was going to get them in trouble at some point in time, but he didn't seem to care at this moment. Everything felt more right when he was around her._

 _"Then we got about 29 minutes left to just lay here," she responded back with a soft murmur, giggling to herself when his lips tickled her neck as he kissed her. She got lost under his gentle touches, her eyes fluttering shut, and soon she felt her surroundings shift into a different memory._

 _Her eyes opened and bright blue eyes greeted her from above. That familiar smile stretched across Steve's face, and her own smile appeared automatically._

 _"Are you sure about this, Lily flower?" Steve asked her, his voice soft. He seemed nervous about this, he didn't want to force her into something she wasn't ready for._

 _"I've never been more ready, Stevie," she mumbled, her hands trailing his bare chest. She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest, but she didn't feel nervous._

 _She felt loved._

 _End of Flashbacks_

The jolt of the van coming to an abrupt stop made Lillian snap her eyes open, and those memories slipped away. She looked around and made eye contact with Bucky, who now seemed more worried than before. Before she could ask him anything, she felt rough hands grab her arms and tug her out of the back of the van and onto the cold ground.

"You both failed," a voice rumbled as it approached the twins, who were both on the ground now.

Lillian looked up and glared at the agent who was speaking, Brock Rumlow, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she looked back down, ready to take any sort of punishment that he would inflict on her.

Rumlow sighed and waved his hand, signaling for the two assassins to be forced on their feet. He was going to punish them, but he needed something that would make sure they wouldn't fail him again. He had to make the consequences worse this time. He took a few steps forward and stood in front of Lillian, who was glaring right back at him. She was always the defiant one, with a stronger will. She was harder to control, and he was determined to break her once and for all.

"Erase his memories," he ordered, not breaking his eye contact with the female assassin, "Take her back to The Room."

Lillian tensed up and forced herself to look away, panic slowly setting in her bones. With these new found memories rushing through her mind, she remembered The Room, and how much pain it brought.

Apparently, so did Bucky, because as soon as they started to take him away, he started to fight his way out. He's only been in The Room one time, and he knew it was not a good place to be in. He could hear his sisters cries of pain echoing in his mind, so he struggled against the hands that held him to help her.

"Брат. Не делайте это хуже для себя ( **Brother. Don't make it worse for yourself** )," she said softly. She didn't want him suffer for her actions. It was her fault that they failed and the Captain was still out of HYDRA's hands.

"Listen to your sister, Soldier. Don't make it worse for yourself," Rumlow said, grinning slyly as he watched the assassin get led away. He turned his gaze back to Lillian and hummed softly to himself, grabbing her upper arm rough enough to leave a bruise in the morning. "You, however, have made it much worse for yourself," he said as he led her down the dark hallway to The Room.

Lillian let out a soft grunt of pain as another blade sunk into her flesh, but she shook her head instead of crying out. She refused to give Rumlow the satisfaction of her crying, or showing weakness, because she knew that is all he wanted.

"Lillian Barnes," Rumlow said, leaving the blade sticking out of her leg so he could slowly walk around her. He had strapped her down to a chair and had been torturing her for a better part of the hour. He would not waste the opportunity to show his dominance over her.

Lillian licked her bottom lip before looking up at him, throwing him a smile. She knew his games, he was easily predictable, and she wasn't going to fall into the trap.

"Brock Rumlow," she mocked back, earning a hard slap across her cheek. She knew that she was crawling under his skin, and even though she was in immense pain, it was amusing.

"You could make this easy if you just...complied," he said, grabbing another sharp object off the nearby table that was holding various torture devices.

Lillian just huffed and blew some hair out of her face, her eyes never leaving his body. She was too weak to escape from her bonds, and she didn't want to make this situation worse for herself.

"But, we both know you are a tough cookie. We both know you don't like taking orders," he continued, turning to face her. He had a few blood stains across his cheek from the first time she had attacked him, before she had started to be stabbed relentlessly. "And we both know how much that's a big security issue for us. Why is it so hard for you to just, follow the rules?"

"I've never been the one to listen," she answered, which earned a humorless laugh from him.

"Oh yes, I've read your files. I know just how much you _love_ to just do whatever you want," he said, a dark twinkle in his eyes, "Especially with a certain Avenger. You don't think my agents overheard your little talk with the Star Spangled Man? You're starting to remember, aren't you?" He took a moment to see if she would respond, but he was greeted with silence, so he continued, "That's too bad, because I didn't want to pull out the threats on you for this mission. I had hoped it would be a simple mission for you two , but I guess everyone has their downfalls."

Lillian was tense as she listened to him, and she started to get worried. She didn't like where this conversation was going, especially since she now knew that he seemed to know everything between her and Steve.

"But," he said, kneeling in front of her so they were eye level, "as much as it pains me to say this, you are the best we have. So, I have a proposition for you. We put you back under, get you back to The Winter mindset. You retrieve Captain America. We don't kill your brother. How does this sound?"

"You wouldn't hurt him," she hissed, flinching when he placed the sharp blade against her cheek.

"You and I both know I am willing to do whatever to get what I want," he said softly, his breath fanning against her skin as he gently pushed the blade against her cheek bone, watching a single trail of blood drip down her delicate skin.

"And what about Pierce?" she asked, clenching her jaw as to avoid the pain, "What would he say if you destroyed his most prized possession?"

Rumlow just laughed and slowly pulled back from her, shaking his head in amusement.

"He already gave me the go ahead," he said, looking over her beaten form. "So, what do you say? We got a deal?"

Lillian stared hard at the ground as she thought about her options. She loved Steve, but she loved her brother. She had to protect him against HYDRA, at all costs, even if it meant capturing her love.

"Yes," she said, her voice shaking as she came to the agreement.

"Good," Rumlow said, patting her cheek happily before plunging the knife into her hand, causing her to let out a soft whimper. "I'm glad we came to this agreement. Someone will be in shortly to retrieve you and treat the wounds you got from your mission. It was good talking to you again, Winter."

Lillian didn't watch him as he left The Room, but as soon as she was alone, she let herself release a shaky breath. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. But she knew she couldn't. Instead, she let out a long groan and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of any sort of way that she could save Steve and protect Bucky.

She needed to send a message out to Natasha. Even though the red head may not trust her at the moment, Lillian trusted her to protect Steve from HYDRA's advances. Or maybe she could break Bucky out of this shit hold, make him run and hide, and take any punishment Rumlow or any other agent would throw at her.

She would sacrifice herself to save either one of her boys, and that's exactly what she planned to do.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Comment! Favorite! Enjoy!_


	11. 10

Lillian Barnes was never one for violence. She didn't mind violent movies or shows, but she hated seeing Steve coming over with bruised skin and bloodied lips, and she hated when her brother had to step in to fight off the attackers. She hated seeing others get hurt, and she didn't like to be in pain herself.

She thought the worse pain she would ever have to experience was losing her twin.

She was wrong.

Being held captive by HYDRA was the most excruciating pain she has ever had to endure. The endless torture from the machines the scientists put her through was mind numbing. Each punch, hit, and cut from a knife could be felt to the core of her being. Hearing her brother's screams from his own torture was made her relive memories, it made her ghost wounds hurt.

Everything hurt these days.

Hearing Lillian's screams made James go haywire. He knew that she would be put through hell for compromising this mission, but hearing her screeches of agony made things more surreal. He didn't know the reasons behind why she had stopped him from taking down the Captain, but he had full trust in her, and he knew whatever those reasons she had were good ones.

He sat in his chair, his wrists strapped down painfully, as he listened to the last of the whimpers from his sister in the chair across from him. She was having her memory wiped, just before his, because this was _his_ consequence for not going through with the mission. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to look away once she had quietened down. As the nurses assisted Lillian out of her chair, he glanced over to her.

They made brief eye contact, maybe lasting only two seconds, but he saw a shift in her eyes and a twitch on her lip. He knew that not everything got erased from her mind, and that made him feel more at ease. Maybe he could remember something little, so he could help his sister in whatever she was planning.

Strong hands pushed on his shoulders, and he let his body fall back into the chair, mentally preparing himself for this torment. He watched his sister be escorted out of the room, probably being led back to their cell. His eyes didn't leave her, even as she had disappeared from sight. Even when the door slammed shut. The only time he stopped looking was when his eyes were forced shut, and he let out a loud scream.

Hours later, Lillian was sitting on her bed, well that's what they like to call it. It was more like a makeshift cot, but she would take what little was handed to her. She was sitting still, her eyes staring at the wall as she tried to recollect anything that may still be in her head. However, she wasn't met with much. All she knew was that something important had happened, and that they had wiped her mind clean.

She looked up when her brother was pushed in, watching him stumble towards her. He looked wrecked, like he normally did when his "treatment" was over with. She frowned for a split moment before her face returned to the usual emotionless slate.

James was staring at her, his eyes hard as he tried to desperately think of something. They rushed through his mind erasure, and he could remember bits of what had happened, but the more he stared at his sister, the more he knew that she didn't know.

"Нам нужно убежать (We need to escape)," Lillian whispered after minutes of tense silence. She knew something was wrong with the situation they were in. James snapped his eyes up, meeting her own cold stare, before he nodded once.

"Мы будем (We will)," he promised, his voice just as soft. He didn't remember anything from his past, but he knew that he was willing to die for his sister.

Steve sat on the couch in the Avengers tower, in the same room where that fight had raged on a few days ago. Though, you wouldn't know there was a fight because Tony had everything cleaned up within hours.

He had been searching endlessly for both of the Barnes after they slipped through his fingers. He hardly slept, he didn't eat, and he knew that the others were worried for him but he couldn't bring himself to care. He came face to face with the two that he never thought he would ever meet again until he was dead. Seeing them again brought up memories and emotions he had buried so deep down, he forgot he would feel this way again. He would be damned if he let them disappear again.

Being so lost in thought, he didn't hear Natasha walk up behind him, her permanent scowl being replaced by a pitied frown. She didn't know what he was going through, she couldn't pretend to understand his pain, but having her own demons inside made her realize how broken Steve was, and she knew she had to help him.

"Tony found a few more places where HYDRA could be at, he's sending surveillance out there now," she said, breaking Steve out of his trance.

He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a stiff nod before returning his gaze to his hands, where he held that locket he had been holding onto. Natasha let out a soft sigh and walked around the couch to stand in front of him.

"He was also talking about doing something to take your mind off of everything. I wasn't on board to begin with, but seeing you like this... I think it may be best if we do something," she continued as if there wasn't a lull in her speech.

That made Steve look back up at her, letting her have more attention. He furrowed his eyebrows, not quite understanding what she had meant.

"He suggested getting you up to speed on modern television," she said, giving him a small smile, "Movie night, or something like that."

He sighed heavily and licked his lips before returning a soft smile back to her. He knew that he was obsessing too much with finding them, but he couldn't stop.

"Yeah, sure. Movie night," he agreed, his voice soft and broken. He didn't want to stop his search for Bucky and Lillian, but he also knew that Natasha wouldn't take no for an answer, so he had to agree.

Natasha nodded, her smile widening a bit more.

"Clint may be joining us too, possibly Banner. Who knows about Thor or the others," she said, patting his shoulder before she started to walk away, "Everyone comes and goes. I feel like this is more of a hotel rather than a tower. Oh! Movie night at 7, so you got some time to wallow still, but we expect to see you for dinner."

Steve chuckled to himself as she left him alone once again. He was grateful for her, and for the fact that she didn't feel the need to hover over him. Taking one last glance at the locket in his hand, he stood to his feet and made his way to his room.

Unknown to either of the other Avengers, Steve was doing his own solo search for the twins, with the help of Jarvis. While the AI may be Stark's, he was pretty good at keep secrets and assisting.

He spent the next few hours going through years of footage of The Winter and The Soldier, finding out what their targets usually are, and where they hit the most. He tried to pinpoint cities and countries they spent the most time in, and if their targets worked for anyone or a certain company that tied something all together. It was tiring, and staring as a screen for such a long time hurt his eyes. But, it paid off in the end, because he felt like he had a pretty good lead to where they might be.

"Captain," Jarvis said, his voice cutting through his concentration, "Stark and Romanoff request your presence in the dining room."

Steve sighed heavily and glanced at the time, silently cursing himself in his head when he realized he was late to dinner. He turned off his electronics and hid all his information before he rushed out of his room and to the dining room, where several eyes turned to him as he entered.

"Ah, Captain," Stark said, giving him an easy-going smile, "So glad you have blessed us with your presence. We were beginning to think you forgot about us."

Steve flashed him a smile and shook his head before sitting in his usual spot between Banner and the empty chair that Thor would sit in.

"Sorry, I was caught up in something," he said, catching Natasha's stare from across the table. He looked away quickly though, because he didn't want to give anything away.

Dinner was uneventful. Steve chose to sit silently, opting to listen in other's conversations as his mind reeled over the new information he had learned about HYDRA, and where his friends could be hiding. He was ready to go hid back in his room until Tony made a big announcement about what movie they would be watching.

He let out a soft groan, which only Banner had heard, causing him to stifle a soft laugh.

"Really? Disney?" Bruce said as he made his way to the big living room area where everyone was getting situated for this torturous movie night.

"What's your problem, Banner? Got an issue with some good quality lessons and music?" Stark asked, raising an eyebrow at him, "Besides, we gotta start Mr. Red, White, and Blue out easy here. We can't just jump straight into Star Wars or Harry Potter. Gotta start slow and easy."

Steve rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile that had formed on his face. For as annoying as Stark was most of the time, he knew that his intentions tended to be good.

"Which Disney movie?" he asked as he settled onto the couch, stretching his body out.

"Moana or Frozen?" Stark asked, and was met with a chorus of Frozen answers.

Steve stared straight ahead through the whole movie, his body unnaturally stiff as the music rang through the room. He heard the soft voices of his teammates sing along under their breaths as they also watched, enjoying the movie themselves. He wanted to enjoy it, he was sure the movie was decent enough to like, but he couldn't help but think of Lillian's warm eyes. The similarities between her and these two animated females made him think of her even more, and it made him upset.

Once the movie was over, he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, which didn't go unnoticed by everyone.

"What's wrong, Cap? Didn't enjoy the movie?" Stark asked, leaning forward so he could get a better look at him.

"Uh, no. No, it was, uh... good," Steve responded, looking over at him with a forced smile and a raised eyebrow.

"You, uh, sure?" Stark said, mocking him slightly, "What was wrong with it? Was it the whole ice thing? Is that still a touchy subject?"

Steve sighed heavily and rolled his eyes at that comment, but neglected to respond to him, so Tony just continued.

"Or was it the notion of love? I know that's a touchy subject for you."

"Tony..." Natasha said, her voice quiet but threatening. Clint and Banner knew about the fight against HYDRA that had happened, but neither of them realized what had actually went on between everyone.

"Does Cap need a nice warm hug to unfreeze his heart?" Tony continued as he got up to change the DVD's so they could continue their movie night. He smiled to himself when Clint snorted. No one really noticed how tense Steve was, and how angry he was becoming.

Tony turned to face his friends and smiled widely at Steve, who was staring at him with hard and unnerving eyes.

"C'mon, learn to love a little. I know new is scary, but you gotta learn how to eventually."

Steve abruptly stood up, his heart hammering in his chest as he tried to control his anger against Stark.

"That's where you're wrong, Stark. I was in love once, but my heart died with her," he said, his voice even but full of anger.

He felt eyes on his back as he stormed out of the room, but he didn't dare turn around. He was hurt, and angry. He was in love with Lillian, and seeing her again earlier this week made all those feeling surface once more. Old wounds opened up again, and it made him emotional and vulnerable.

Was his outburst necessary? Probably not, but he couldn't help himself. Tony was egging him on, he knew that. He knew that Stark was impulsive, and not in control of his mouth most of the time, but he was annoyed with how he handled that situation. Clint and Bruce did not know anything was going on, and now he was going to have to tell them what was going on. He didn't really want to, but he had to explain himself.

He let out a long and angry breath out through his nose before collapsing onto his bed. He was exhausted now, all of his energy drained out of him as soon as he entered his room. This was something he would deal with tomorrow.

He was pretty good at putting off his problems until later. It usually caused more issues later on though.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

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	12. 11

**_Flashback_**

Steve slowly lowered himself on the bed as he watched Lillian pace from her closet to her dresser, her soft mutters to herself bringing a smile upon his lips. It was their first official date, since Bucky was off with the 107th protecting his country and he couldn't object. He had a few days off from his "tour" as Captain America, and he wanted to spend it with his best girl. He missed her more than anything.

"What about this?" Lillian asked, bringing a navy blue blouse up to her body. She was chewing on her bottom lip as she glanced at Steve, who was staring at her with a lovesick smile.

"Lily, you could wear a sack, and I would still think you are the most beautiful woman in the world," he responded, laughing under his breath as her cheeks turned a light red. He kept his eyes on her as she let out a quiet huff and turned back to her closet.

"Well, I gotta make sure I look good enough to be standing beside you, _Captain_ ," she said, grabbing a creme colored dress off one of her hangers.

Steve hummed softly and stood up, his feet carrying to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling her comforting scent. He found it amusing that she was worried so much about her image, because he could honestly not care. He's seen her wearing her lounge wear, her face bare of makeup, and he was still so in love with her.

"Do you really want my opinion on what you should wear, doll?" he asked softly, his voice muffled against her skin. He had started to sway behind her, making her body sway with his. Moments like these made him the happiest man in the world.

"Yes, please," she responded, her voice just as soft as she relaxed back into his body. She wanted this night to be perfect, for Steve. For herself. She felt him press his lips against her neck softly before he stood up straight, his hand leaving the embrace he had her in to reach into the closet.

He pushed some of articles of clothing to the side, searching for the one outfit he loved seeing her in. His fingers grasped the soft material of the dress, and he gently pulled it out to hand it to her. It was the same forest green dress that she was wearing when he first realized his feelings for her. This dress was special to him, and Lillian knew that.

She grabbed the dress and smiled to herself as she remembered that night she first wore this outfit. Of course Steve would pick this, she should have known. It was his favorite.

"You're gonna have the leave the room so I can get ready," she murmured, turning to face him.

Steve smile softly and leaned down to press a soft kiss against her lips before he slipped away, leaving her so she could doll herself up.

"Don't take too long, sweetheart. I wanna show you off," he said just before he closed her door.

When Lillian emerged from her room a bit later, Steve was taken back by how beautiful she was. She seemed to glow with that dress, and he felt himself fall deeper in love with the Barnes girl.

"Do I look alright?" she asked with a smile, walking over to him to kiss his cheek softly. His reaction to her get up was quite amusing, it made her feel like a queen.

"More than alright," he mumbled to himself, his eyes darkening slightly with that familiar burn of lust. He never acted on those feelings, for he had respect for Lillian, but he could imagine, right?

Lillian grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly before tugging him out of the apartment.

"C'mon Captain, let's go dancing," she said, her happiness radiating off of her in waves. Tonight was going to be special for the both of them.

Lillian couldn't stop the giggles that were escaping her as Steve twirled her again, his own laugh falling from his lips. They haven't been off the dance floor in some time, because the both of them were just enjoying each other too much.

"You never danced before, huh?" she asked as he pulled her back into his body, her hands sliding up his muscular chest. She didn't quite believe him, because he was quite good.

"Not with another partner," he said, letting their bodies sway to the music in time. He placed one of his hands upon her waist and hummed to the music as the other hand grabbed one of her hands that were placed on his chest.

"So I'm your first?" she teased softly, watching the blush creep up on his cheeks as he became flustered.

"In most things," he muttered to himself, though she heard what he had said. He smiled widely though when another laugh came from her, and he instantly relaxed.

"Well, I feel honored then, Captain Rogers," she said, letting out a soft squeal when Steve pulled her even closer against his body. She felt her face grow hot when she felt his muscles against her petite body, but she didn't want to pull away.

"You should, doll," he murmured, kissing her forehead softly.

They both felt like they were floating in heaven at this moment. The entire place seemed to melt into nothingness, and soon they were the only ones there. Talking and laughter faded into a soft buzz, and soon the only thing they could hear was the music.

Steve looked down and studied Lillian's face, his heart skipping a beat. Her skin was soft and flawless, her dark hair cascading over her shoulder. She was beautiful, and he was so in love with her, and he wanted to propose to her then and there, and-

This was the moment that he realized he wanted to marry Lillian Barnes.

He always knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but in this exact moment, watching her red lips stretch into a small grin, he finally knew that one day he was going to marry this girl.

"You're staring, Stevie," she whispered softly, letting out a soft sigh as she looked over his face.

Steve licked his bottom lip and gently released her hand so he could trace her cheek bone with his thumb. He never wanted to forget this moment, where they were both so carefree and in love. He didn't want to forget how much love he felt for this woman that was in his arms.

"I can't help it, Lily flower," he said, smiling softly at her, "Why don't we go back home?"

Lillian grinned back at him and nodded, slowly pulling away from his body, but he quickly tightened his grip around her waist. He didn't want to let go of her, at all.

"Yes, sir."

Steve held the door open for Lillian, being the gentleman that he tried so hard to be for her. He wanted to make sure that she was only treated the best, because that's what she deserved.

She flashed him a smirk as she walked past him, her body brushing intimately against his which caused Steve to tense up. He knew when she was teasing him, and it made him go crazy. He closed the door behind him and exhaled a long breath as he followed her into her bedroom. He kicked off his shoes before walking behind her, his hands immediately going to her sides.

"Need help?" he asked softly, one of his hands sliding up to the zipper of her dress. He was answered with a soft hum so he gently pulled the zipper down, getting greeted with her bare skin.

His hands slid over her shoulder as he helped take her dress off. He was going slow, waiting for her to tell him to stop or to leave, but instead she bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

"Is this okay?" he murmured, his hand grazing her bare back as her dress started to slip further down her body.

Lillian let out a soft hum and shuddered under his touch, her stomach twisting in a new way. Of course, she knew how she felt for Steve, but the way he was touching and talking to her amplified all those feelings.

"Yes," she responded, pressing herself more into his gentle touch.

Steve started to chew on his bottom lip as he gently slid the dress down more, his heart feeling as if it was in his throat. He was so nervous to be this intimate with her, but at the same time, it felt right. He felt a large breath escape her as the dress fell to the floor silently, leaving her with almost nothing. He felt himself freeze, because he didn't know if she wanted to continue.

Lillian hummed softly and turned her head to the side to look at Steve, who was just staring intently at her back. He looked like he was unsure what to do, so she turned around to face him. He snapped his eyes up to meet hers once he realized that she was moving, his usual bright eyes a few shades darker than normal.

She gently reached up and started to play with the buttons on his nice shirt for a moment before she began to unbutton it. She was nervous too, but the way Steve was intently watching her made her feel more in control. Soon, she pulled his shirt off his body, revealing his toned chest.

"Is this okay?" she asked, repeating his question.

Steve nodded, his eyes not leaving her face. His hands rested on her sides, touching her bare skin. He wanted to feel more, let his hands explore, but he was scared. In this moment, he knew that this is what he wanted, to be with her, to touch her, to love her.

Lillian trailed her hand up and cupped his cheek gently before she leaned forward, kissing him on the lips. She didn't want to be anywhere else than in this moment in his arms. She wanted this, she knew that, and the way that Steve was kissing her made her think that he wanted this too.

She grabbed one of his hands and gently slid it up her body, letting him know that it was okay to touch her. She felt him start to relax more, and soon he took control of the situation. His hands were everywhere, leaving her skin hot where he touched her. He deepened the kiss as he started to push her towards the bed, not leaving one area of her skin untouched.

Soon, Lillian felt the soft comforter underneath her, and she cracked her eyes open when Steve slowly pulled away. She was instantly greeted with the familiar blue eyes, and that familiar smile stretched across Steve's face, causing her own smile to appear automatically.

"Are you sure about this, Lily flower?" Steve asked her, his voice soft. He seemed nervous about this, he didn't want to force her into something she wasn't ready for. His hands grazed over her cheek and he searched her face for any sort of negative emotions.

"I've never been more sure, Stevie," she mumbled, her hands trailing his bare chest. She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest as Steve leaned down, pressing open mouth kisses to her collar bone.

Her eyes fluttered closed as Steve helped pull the rest of their clothing off, and he returned his mouth to her body. The tingles that covered her whole body made her feel some sort of way, and she couldn't stop the soft moan that escaped her.

This was new for the both of them. So many emotions raged through their bodies, which egged them on to continue with what they were doing. Steve trailed his lips lower down her body, his body taking control of the situation. He may not know exactly what he was doing, but by the small noises that Lillian was making, he knew that he was doing it right.

He felt alive and she felt loved.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Please favorite and comment! I love hearing from you guys!_


	13. 12

"Are you sure it is wise to let them go back out?" Rumlow asked quietly into the phone as he stood behind a one way mirror, watching the two twins train with each other. He wasn't so confident that this mission would go well either, considering the last two times have failed miserably.

"Trust me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve," a voice responded, laughing to himself, "Just make sure The Soldier is ready once The Winter is in place. We only have one more try at this. If they mess up, _you_ mess up."

Rumlow flinched at the words before he hung up, his eyes hardening as he studied the way the two assassins fought. They had a plan, to infiltrate the Avengers and take down SHIELD once and for all, but he had little faith in The Winter to go through with the plan. She was the one that messed up the other missions, and he wouldn't allow another mistake.

The Soldier threw another punch, making contact with his sister's side, before he effectively threw her to the ground. They were keeping up with their training regime, knowing that they had multiple eyes watching their every moves.

"Сестра, тебе становится все хуже ( **Sister, you're getting worse** )," The Soldier said with a breathy laugh as he reached down to pull her to her feet. The Winter smirked and gripped his hand tight before pulling him down roughly, twisting their bodies so she was on top.

"Неужели? ( **Really?** )," she said mockingly, throwing him a victorious smirk before rolling off of him.

The Soldier rolled his eyes, staying on the ground where he was. They've been training for hours at this point, proving to their superiors that they were ready for whatever new mission they have been assigned.

"Good news!" Rumlow said as he entered the training room, his eyes lingering on The Winter a second longer, "You both are ready to go. After the, uh, _mishap_ last week, the boss gave you the okay to continue with the mission."

The twins sat up and watched Rumlow quietly as he spoke, their bodies tense and faces an emotionless slate. They were ready, to actually succeed this time.

"Soldier, you'll be in charge this time," Rumlow continue, watching as The Winter tensed up at the news, but she didn't argue. "No hesitations, got it?" His eyes trained on the female, silently daring her to argue.

The Winter knew better than to stand up for herself, so instead she cast her eyes down, submitting to the orders. What neither of the boys knew was that she still remembered everything. After a few nights filled with horrid nightmares and uneasiness, she regained enough memories to understand that what they were doing was wrong, and that she needed to save...someone. She didn't know if her brother felt the same, but by the way he nodded at the orders they were given, she assumed no.

Rumlow hummed softly and looked between the assassins before giving them a curt nod, a smile forming on his lips.

"Get ready. You're leaving in an hour," he ordered, turning quickly to leave them alone. He had his own preparations to do before they left. He wanted to make sure that The Winter wouldn't get in the way of what he has planned.

The Soldier stood up to his feet and cast his gaze towards his sister, his eyebrows furrowing when he saw emotions flicker across her face. He could sense something was wrong with her, but he didn't know what it could be.

"Sister?" he asked, his voice soft so nobody but her could hear. Whatever it was, it gave him a sense that it was supposed to be private.

The Winter tilted her head up, immediately pushing all emotions away. While she may trust her brother, she doesn't trust HYDRA, and what they could possibly get out of him. She pushed herself off the ground and hummed softly before giving him a quick grin.

"We need to get ready," she said, pushing past him. Before she could take a few steps away, he quickly grabbed her upper arm and pulled her closer to him.

"Whatever it is, I am here for you," he murmured in his ear, his eyes watching the cameras carefully. "I may just be the Solider to them, but I am your brother first. Even if I don't remember."

The Winter licked her bottom lip quickly and looked up at him, meeting his strong gaze for a few moments before relaxing.

"У них есть свой план. У меня своя. Ты мне доверяешь? ( **They have their plan. I have my own. Do you trust me?** )," she asked in a hushed tone, pulling her arm out of his grip. She needed to get them both out of HYDRA's clutches, especially her brother.

The Soldier studied her face carefully, looking for signs of mistrust or betrayal, but when he saw that she was being honest in what she was doing and planning, he nodded. With my life

"С моей жизнью, ( **With my life** )," he responded.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," she said before walking out of the training room, ignoring the gaze on her back as she left.

"You know, the more I look into who you want to bring in, the more I get against it," Tony Stark announced as he entered the kitchen area where both Steve and Natasha were currently at. He had just finished his research in his lab about who exactly The Winter and The Soldier were, and what they have done.

Steve tensed up at the sound of his voice and looked down at the table with a hard gaze. His relationship with the billionaire has been rocky since their "movie night", and he was getting on his last straw with his attitude.

"I'm sorry my friends got _brainwashed_ , Stark," he said, refusing to look up to his gaze in fear that he would lash out once again. He's been doing that lately. With the stress piling up, his emotions were getting the best of him at times.

"Well Spangled-Man, I don't think the government will let us house wanted criminals," Tony said as he walked to the coffee machine. He didn't want to risk what thin trust they had with the government after Sovokia. He's heard rumors of some accords that they wanted the Avengers to sign, and if it dealt with what he thought, he was scared of what it'll do to the team.

"Well Tin-Head, we don't tell them what we're doing," Steve replied as he stood up, throwing Tony a look.

Natasha snorted to herself but wiped the smile off her face when Tony raised an eyebrow at the both of them.

"As much as I like this attitude of yours, Rogers, I don't feel like becoming a criminal along with them," Tony argued back, walking over to them with his mug of coffee. He was getting sick of this same argument with him.

Steve narrowed his eyes at Tony and stood up to his full height so he was a few inches taller than him. He wasn't going to stop from getting his friends back, he wasn't going to stop searching for them. It felt like he couldn't breathe or function properly now that he knows they've been alive this whole time.

"Are you saying you're backing out of this?" he asked, his voice low and his tone dangerous. This was a side that neither Tony nor Natasha has seen in quite some time, and it made them nervous for what lengths Steve would go to to get what he wanted.

"I'm just saying that maybe we should put the brakes on this and let SHIELD or STRIKE-"

"I want to be the one that brings them back, Stark," Steve said, cutting him off before he could finish the sentence, "They're both like family to me, I can't risk the possibility of them hurting someone important and losing them all over again."

Tony sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face before making eye contact with Natasha, silently coming to a decision with her.

"You can't deal with The Soldier or The Winter by yourself," Tony said, shaking his head as he headed back to his lab, "You get them soon, or I have no choice but to involve other parties in this. They are both dangerous."

Steve clenched his jaw as he watched Tony's figure disappear around the corner, and he slammed his fists on the table, causing Natasha to exhale a long breath.

"Maybe he's right, Steve," she said softly, not moving so she wouldn't anger him anymore than what he already was. "We should look to other options, more help. STRIKE is more than capable of-"

"No!" Steve snapped, shaking his head. He didn't mean to be ruse to her, she has done nothing but help him during this time. "I have to do this. And if you both are backing out, then I'm doing this myself."

He ran a hand through his messy hair as he mumbled a quiet apology to her. Throwing her a sad look, he let his feet carry him out of the kitchen and to his room. He would get them back, by himself if that's what it will come to.

He just hoped it didn't.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Thanks for reading! I'll be gone for a bit because of camping so please be patient with me!_

 _Favorite and comment, because I love those!_


	14. 13

"We do this one last thing, and then we disappear," The Winter said softly as her and her brother got in position on the roof. The night provided great protection from any eyes that could be lingering on the two figures, if anyone was to pay attention.

The Soldier laid down and put the sniper gun in place, a long sigh escaping him as he tried to find his target in the building a block away. He understood their plan, though he did not know why his sister was so adamant on leaving HYDRA. He just hoped that this escape plan wasn't in vain, because if they were to get caught, the consequences would be dire.

Breathing through his nose, The Soldier caught sight of his target. The signature leather coat and eye patch gave it away, and the way he was speaking to the Captain gave the assassin a clear view of his back.

"I'm sorry I have to do this," Nick Fury said as he walked closer to Steve Rogers, "But I have no where else to go." He held up a phone, showing Steve a clear message.

 _SHIELD compromised._

"Who else knows about your wife?" Steve asked, playing along with what Nick was saying because he understood the danger behind this situation.

Another text. _Just you and me_.

"Just my friends," Fury responded before he started to type something else.

"Is that what we are?" Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowing. He didn't know what to think at this point, not wrapping his mind that SHIELD had been compromised.

"That's up to you."

The Winter bit her bottom lip before whispering lowly to her brother, watching as he shot the director three times in the back. She leaned forward and watched as a pretty blonde rushed into the room, helping the director and Captain.

"Let's go," The Soldier said, grabbing the last of his things before grabbing his sisters hand, leading her away from the rooftop. "You said so yourself, we need to disappear."

The ambulance ride to the hospital was a blur for Steve. He couldn't wrap his mind around what Nick had been trying to tell him, he didn't understand how SHIELD could have been compromised. He was still trying to plan out his next moves when he was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts.

"Why was Fury in your apartment?" Natasha asked, her posture stiff was she watched them cover her directors face with a white blanket. He was gone, and she didn't know what to do. "Why were _you_ in your apartment? You haven't been there in weeks."

"I needed a night away from Stark," Steve whispered softly, his eyes flickering over his friend. She looked upset and angry, rightfully so. "I don't know why he was there." He was careful to pick his words because he didn't know if she was someone he could trust now. Just like Fury said, SHIELD had been compromised.

Before she could reply, footsteps echoed through the hallway, walking up to the pair.

"Cap, they want you back at SHIELD," Brock Rumlow said, interrupting their short conversation.

"Yeah, give me a second," Steve replied, not wanting to leave Natasha's side at this point in time. He knew how much Fury meant to the Red Room assassin, and he didn't want her to be alone.

"They want you now."

Steve sighed heavily but gave him a nod in affirmation. He took a few steps away before turning to look at Natasha again, who was already staring at him.

"You're a terrible liar," she said before turning on her heel to walk the other away. She was feeling a lot of different emotions at the moment, but they all centered around how hurt and betrayed she felt.

"Let's go," Steve told Rumlow, walking briskly past him. This was something he would have to deal with later.

Both men entered SHIELD a short drive later, and Steve was immediately taken up a few floors to be questioned about Fury's attack and death.

"Ah, Captain. I'm Alexander Pierce," a new voice said as soon as Steve was brought into a room.

Putting on his best captain face, Steve shook his hand. The room felt tense, and he knew this was something that he would have to take with caution.

"Sir, it's an honor."

"The honor is mine, Captain. My father served in the 101st. Come on in," Pierce said, letting the Captain enter his office. A single photo caught the eye of Steve, which didn't go unnoticed by Pierce. "That photo was taken five years after Nick and I met. When I was at State Department in Bogota. ELN rebels took the embassy, and security got me out, but the rebels took hostages. Nick was deputy chief for the SHIELD station there. And he comes to me with a plan. He wants to storm the building through the sewers. I said, "No, we'll negotiate." Turned out the ELN didn't negotiate, so they put out a kill order. They stormed the basement, and what did they find? They find it empty. Nick had ignored my direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil. He saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including my daughter."

"So you gave him a promotion," Steve said, the sentence almost sounding like a question, but he knew the answer.

"I've never has any cause to regret it," Pierce responded, staring at Steve. A few moments of silence passed between them before he spoke up again. "Captain, why was Nick in your apartment last night?"

"I don't know," he replied, looking up to meet the gaze of Pierce. It gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, like this man was hiding something.

"You know it was bugged?"

"I did, because Nick told me."

"Did he tell you the one who bugged it?" Pierce quickly asked, only being greeted by silence. That gave him more than enough information. He cleared his throat softly and turned on a monitor, showing Steve a live interrogation that was happening.

Steve immediately recognized the man that was in the room from a previous mission he went on for STRIKE, and it made his body tense up more so than what it was.

"Is that Batroc?"

" Yeah, they picked him up last night in a not-so-safe house in Algiers," Pierce said, his eyes trained on the monitor as he watched.

" Are you saying he's a suspect? Assassination isn't Batroc's line," Steve said, moving his gaze back to Pierce. He didn't understand where he was going with this. If he already had it figured out, why was he here?

" No, it's more complicated than that. Batroc was hired anonymously to attack the Lemurian Star and he was contacted by e-mail and paid by wire transfer. And then the money was run through seventeen fictitious accounts, the last one going to a holding company that was registered to a Jacob Veech."

Steve blinked at the name. " Am I supposed to know who that is?" he asked as a file was being handed to him.

" Not likely. Veech died six years ago. His last address was 14-35 Elmhurst Drive. When I first met Nick his mother lived at 14-37."

"Are you saying Fury hired the pirates? Why?"

"The prevailing theory was that the hijacking was a cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence. The sale went sour and that led to Nick's death," Pierce said, watching the Captain s facials to gauge some sort of reaction from him. He, of course, knew what had happened pertaining to his "friend".

"If you really knew Nick Fury you'd know that's not true," Steve said, getting defensive on his old directors behalf.

"Why do you think we're talking? See, I took a seat on the Council, not because I wanted to, but because Nick asked me to, because we were both realists. We knew that despite all the diplomacy and the handshaking and the rhetoric, that to build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down. And that makes enemies. Those people that call you dirty because you got the guts to stick your hands in the mud and try to build something better. And the idea that those people could be happy today, makes me really, really angry," Pierce paused in his speech and sighed heavily. "Captain, you were the last one to see Nick alive. I don't think that's an accident, and I don't think you do either. So I'm gonna ask again, why was he there?"

"He told me not to trust anyone."

"I wonder if that included him."

Steve paused and took a moment to recollect his thoughts. Something was wrong with this converastion, with Pierce. He couldn't trust him.

"I'm sorry. Those were his last words. Excuse me," he said softly as he grabbed his shield, walking out of the office.

"Captain," Pierce said, making the other man stop to listen, "Someone murdered my friend, and I'm going to find out why. Anyone gets in my way, they'll regret it. _Anyone_."

"Understood," Steve said stiffly before taking his exit.

Pierce stared at the closing door, a grin forming on his face. This was exactly what he wanted.

"Get him," he ordered Rumlow and his agents.

Rumlow nodded once and started to make his way to the elevator where Steve had taken off.

"Cap," he greeted as he entered the elevator before it closed, two agents following closely behind him.

"Rumlow," Steve greeted, his hands placed in front of his body as they told the elevator where they would like to go.

"Evidence Response found some fibres on the roof they want us to see. You want me to get the tac-team ready?" Rumlow said, attempting to make small talk to make the Captain more at ease.

" No, lets wait and see what it is first," Steve responded, watching as Rumlow gave him a curt nod. His eyes trailed over the other agents, and he caught on of them touching their weapon suspiciously.

" I'm sorry about what happened with Fury," Rumlow said as a few more agents piled into the elevator, "Messed up, what happened to him."

"Thank you," Steve muttered in responded, getting uncomfortable in this elevator. Another agent got in the elevator, and that was when he realized what was going on.

He was surrounded.

"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?"

Silence.

After a moments pause, one of the agents suddenly turns and attempts to use an electric rod on Steve. Other agents tried to grab him and strap his wrists with their magnetic cuffs. Steve manages to knock some of them away, but one of the cuff manages to attach to his wrist. Rumlow uses his own rod to give Steve a painful shock.

"Whoa, big guy. I just want you to know, Cap, this ain't personal," Rumlow said as he dodges an attack from the Captain.

"It kind of feels personal," Steve says as he picked up his shield before forcing the elevator doors open. Hes greeted by a team of STRIKE and SHIELD agents, who were all pointing their weapons at him.

"Give it up Rogers! You have nowhere to go," an agent calls, causing Steve to quickly close the elevator doors.

He looked around, trying to think of any escape plans to get him out of here. An idea popped in his head as he stared out the window of the elevator, and he tensed his body up. He muttered under his breath before throwing his body against the glass, his body plummeting down to the ground.

Hours later, and Steve found himself in front of an abandoned military base in New Jersey with Natasha by his side. As of right now, she was the only one he could trust. Whatever STRIKE has been hiding was about the Barnes twins, he knew it. The signal they had traced from the flash drive Fury gave him led them to this place, somewhere he used to train at before he turned into the super-soldier he is today.

"This is a dead end. Zero heat signature, zero waves, not even radio. Whoever wrote the file must have used a router to throw people off," Natasha said as she walked around, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Steve glanced around, memories hounding his brain, when he noticed something wrong.

"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place," he said, leading Natasha to the locked door. Using his shield, he broke the lock and opened the heavy doors, revealing what appeared to be an old SHIELD base.

The two Avengers walked slowly around the office, taking in the old pictures that were hanging up on the wall, and trying to find any information as to why they were lead here. Steve blinked and walked up to a massive bookcase that seemed out of place.

"If you're already working in a secret office," he muttered, using his super strength to push the bookshelf to the side, "Why do you need to hide the elevator?"

They took the elevator down, their bodies and minds on edge for anything that could appear once the doors open. When they entered a room with old technology and computers, Natasha huffed in annoyance.

"This can't be the data-point, this technology is ancient," she said, looking around to find _anything_ that seemed like it would help. She noticed a flash drive point, and she immediately walked forward to insert the flash drive, which activates the computers.

"Initiate system?" A voice called out, causing Natasha to smile widely.

"Y-E-S, spells yes," she said to herself happily. She glanced up at Steve and grinned, "Shall we play a game?" she asked in a playful voice, "It's from a movie that..."

"Yeah, I saw it," Steve said, cracking a small smile.

"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born, 198," an accented voice called out, causing both of them to tense up. They could see an old camera moving above them as if it was analyzing them.

"It's some kind of a recording," Natasha said, trying to calm down Steve who seemed to be more on edge after hearing that voice.

" I am not a recording, Fräulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am," the voice responded as a face appeared on the computer screen. Steve narrowed his eyes when he saw who it was.

"Do you know this thing?" She asked, glancing over at Steve who seemed to be glaring at the computer.

"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull," Steve responded, confused as to how this scientist seemed to still be alive, "He's been dead for years."

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain," Zola said, correcting the Captain.

"How did you get here?" Steve said, getting angrier by them moment. His friends were in danger, and it seemed as if this _computer_ was just playing a game with them. He had not time to entertain, he had to rescue Bucky and Lillian, and take care of STRIKE.

"Invited."

"It was Operation Paperclip after World War II," Natasha said when she noticed that Steve wasn't following, "SHIELD recruited German scientists with strategic value."

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own," Zola cut in, his voice menacing. He pulled up old footage of HYDRA and Red Skull, and footage of the old SHIELD. "HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite inside SHIELD. For seventy years HYDRA has been secretly feeding crisis, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

Natasha felt her jaw clench as the footage was shown to them, and she was getting angry like Steve was.

"That's impossible, SHIELD would have stopped you," she said, shaking her head.

"Accidents will happen," Zola said as the computer screen showed HYDRA killing Howard and Maria Stark, making it look like a regular car accident, as well as footage of Fury dying. "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's new world order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your Life; a zero sum-"

Steve couldn't handle this anymore, and soon his anger took over. He smashed the computer screen with his fist, which caused Natasha to flinch away since she didn't expect it.

"As I was saying..." Zola said as he appeared on another computer screen.

"What's on this drive?" Steve asked, his body staring to feel uncomfortably warm with all the anger coursing through his veins.

"Project Insight requires insight. So I wrote an algorithm," Zola responded, not caring about giving any sort of information out.

"What kind of algorithm?" Natasha asked as she crossed her arms, "What does it do?"

"The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it," Zola said as the doors slammed shut. Steve attempted to throw his shield to stop the doors, but it was no no avail.

"Steve, we got a bogey. Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops," Natasha said, looking at Steve with worry in her hardened gaze.

"Who fired it?"

"SHIELD."

"I am afraid I have been stalling, Captain. Admit it, it's better this way. We're both of us...out of time," Zola said, his face disappearing off the computer screen.

Steve notices a small opening on the ground, and he quickly threw the metal doors to the side. Just as the place explodes, he throws Natasha and then himself in the hold, and uses his shield as protection. Rubble of concrete fall on top of them, causing the shield to becoming heavy. Many moments passed, and soon the layer of dust became too much. Steve very slowly pushed on his shield to knock the concrete off, and he looked around. He was in pain from the fall damage, but when he looked down at an unconscious Natasha, he pushed his own pain away to carry her safely away.

He gently placed her in the backseat of the burrowed car and drove off as quick as he could before the incoming STRIKE members noticed the retreating car. His whole body was trembling, from anger, exhaustion, and pain. He couldn't believe the amount of betrayal and lies that had unknowingly encompassed his life.

A heavy sigh escaped him and he ran a hand through his dirty hair. This just made everything much more complicated for him, and he knew getting Bucky and Lillian back was going to be much more difficult.

A small groan came from the back of the car an hour later, and he forced himself away from his thoughts to look back, watching as Natasha woke up.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly when she realized she was in a moving car.

"To someone I trust," he said softly, turning a corner into a nice neighborhood.

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows as Steve turned off the car and got out, but she quickly got out and followed after him. They walked a few blocks from where he had parked before Steve approached a house, knocking impatiently.

"Hey man," Sam Wilson said as the door opened, looking between the two dirty Avengers.

"I'm sorry about this. We need a place to stay low."

""Everyone we know is trying to kill us," Natasha added, which made Sam raise an eyebrow. A second of silence passed between them before Sam opened the door more.

"Not everyone," he said, letting them inside. He quickly looked around the street as they entered to make sure no one was following them before he closed and locked the door.

"Are you sure we will be safe?" The Soldier asked his sister as they entered an abandoned apartment building that seemed to be crumbling.

They had been on the run nonstop since the assassination of Director Fury in hopes to escape HYDRA and the dictatorship of Pierce. Currently, they were states away, tired from the endless nights.

"I will make sure you stay safe," The Winter replied, choosing her words carefully. She had kept up with the news, and she knew that Captain was now a wanted criminal, which made her assume that HYDRA knew that the two assassins have fled.

"That is not what I asked," he said, grabbing her arm gently and forcing her to look at him. He knew that something was not right, and that she was hiding something from him.

"I know, but that is how I chose to answer," she whispered, giving him a small smile. She reached up and traced his cheek softly before sighing, "I promise to explain everything later on. Just go to sleep. I know how much of a принцесса ( **princess** ) you become when you are tired."

The Soldier managed to crack a small smile and rolled his eyes before pressing a small kiss upon her forehead.

"Of course, sister," he murmured, pulling himself away to fall onto the dirty, old mattress on the floor. "Wake me up soon so you can sleep next."

The Winter hummed in reply and looked out the window briefly before closing the blinds, darkness once again falling upon the twins.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Do you guys enjoy longer chapters like these or do you prefer to have them split up?_

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	15. 14

Sam Wilson stood off to the side of the table where Steve and Natasha were currently sitting, confusion flickering across his face.

"So, your friends, James and Lillian Barnes are still alive? The same friends that were alive with you during World War II?" he asked, not really understanding how that could be possbile.

"Apparently HYDRA got a hold of both of them," Natasha answered when Steve was silent.

Sam sighed heavily before talking. "They're both assassins?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow at the tone of his voice and tilted her head to the side, staring blankly at him.

"I am."

"Riiiight..." Sam said, taking an unconscious step away from her which caused the two Avengers to grin in amusement, "And you two are going after these assassins because you think you can get them back?"

"You're really good at repeating what we just told you," Natasha sassed as she leaned back in her seat. Her nails drummed against the table and she glanced over at Steve again, who was looking between his two friends. Sam rolled his eyes at her but flashed a wide smile at Steve.

"Alright, I'm in," he said, giving them a short nod.

"You're in? Who invited you?" Natasha asked, though she was ignored as Steve leaned forward in his seat.

"I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason," Steve said, referring to his big loss from previously serving the country. He didn't want to put his friend through something if he didn't need to be put through it.

"Dude, Captain America needs my help," Sam said with a giddy laugh, "There's no better reason to get back in."

Steve chuckled under his breath and relaxed back into his seat, his fingers skimming over the images that were in the folder Sam had given out earlier.

"Where can we get our hands on one of these things?" He asked Sam, pointing at what the younger man used to wear to perform his tasks.

"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall," Sam replied, thinking that they would never be able to get to it. It had to be pretty hard, considering Steve was a wanted criminal now.

Steve and Natasha glanced at each other, and the Widow shrugged her shoulders as a plan started to formulate in her mind.

"Shouldn't be a problem," she said as a smile slowly formed on her face.

"Great! Only issue now is trying to find someone that can give us the information," Sam said a bit sarcastically, "to find the Barnes twins, and a way to stop this algorithm plan."

Steve smirked as he stood to his feet, "Shouldn't be a problem."

...

The trio watched from afar as multiple SHIELD agents exited a building. There seemed to have been a meeting of some sort that had just ended, but they didn't care much for that. They were there for only one of those agents, and when Steve had located him, he quickly muttered into his ear piece to tell his team to get into place.

Jasper Sitwell, a level 7 SHIELD agents made his way over to an empty bench that was not that far from the building he had just exited from. He was fatigued from trying to find out where The Winter and The Soldier had disappeared off to, and maintaining his cover was getting harder each day with tensions rising in STRIKE and SHIELD. A soft ring made him snap out of his foggy thoughts, and he quickly answered the phone when he saw that Alexander Pierce was calling him.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, hoping for information or a new mission for him.

"Agent Sitwell, how was the meeting? I hear the crab cakes here are delicious," Sam Wilson said into the phone as he watched him from his assigned post across the street.

"Who is this?" Sitwell's voice was tense and he quickly looked around to find anything that was suspicious.

"The good looking guy in the sunglasses, your ten o'clock," Sam answered, watching the agent look in the wrong direction. "Your other ten o'clock," he said with a sigh, "there you go."

"What do you want?" the agent asked when his eyes landed on the darker skinned mad, his face covered by sunglasses so he couldn't see who it was.

"You're gonna go around the corner, to your right. There's a grey car, two spaces down. You and I are gonna take a ride," Sam said, avoiding his question and getting straight to the point.

"And why would I do that?" A short laughed escaped the older man. He wasn't too worried, what could one man do to him?

"Because that tie looks really expensive, and I'd hate to mess it up."

Sitwell looked down and noticed a red dot trained onto his tie, and his body immediately tensed up in fear.

An uncomfortable car ride later, Steve grabbed a hold of Sitwell's jacket and threw him roughly through the door, leading him onto a roof of the tall building.

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," he demanded, using his Captain's stern voice, "and tell me where the Barnes twins are."

"Never heard of it or them" Sitwell replied, keeping his voice even and calm. This caused Steve to lose his temper, and he used his strength to push him closer to the edge, which only made the SHIELD agent smile in amusement. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

Steve felt his left eye twitch, and he restrained himself from actually pushing him off the roof himself and just ending this man's traitorous life. He didn't need this sass from someone, especially since he was already running on almost no sleep and stress from trying to find his friends.

"You're right, it's not," he said stiffly, taking a step away from him as if he was giving up, "It's hers."

Natasha stepped out from behind Steve and gave the agent a wide smile before kicking him in the chest. Sitwell tripped over the ledge, a loud scream escaping his lips. Before he could hit the ground however, strong hands grabbed his arms and carried him back up to the roof and carelessly dropping him onto the ground. Natasha smiled at Sam, who was wearing his Falcon suit with metal wings as he suspended in the air.

"Zola's algorithm is a program...for choosing Insight's targets!" Sitwell said quickly, barely hearing his own voice because his heart was pounding in his ears. Steve clenched his jaw and took a threatening step forward.

"What targets?"

"You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future."

"The future?" Steve asked in a confused tone. "How could it know?"

"How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it.," Sitwell answered with a harsh and forced laugh. "Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."

"And what then?"

"Oh god, Pierce is going to kill me."

Steve grabbed him roughly by the jacket again and pulled him close. His eyes were harsh and angry, and he was to the point of breaking. Even Natasha took a step back because she knew better than to get in the way of an angry Captain.

"And _then_ what?"

"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."

Steve felt his muscles tense in his arms as he used his strength to not punch this agent across the face. Instead, he dropped him to the ground and took a few steps back.

"Where are they? Where are the twins?" he said calmly, though his eyes showed the true storm that was raging within.

"We... No one knows. They went off radar a few days ago," Sitwell said, shaking his head as he started to sweat. He was so going to die when Pierce finds out.

"Went off the radar? So you lost them?" Natasha said as she stepped into the conversation. She could tell that Steve was about to explode with this new information.

" _Technically_ , I didn't lose them," he replied weakly, eyeing the dangerous Captain as he started to pace off to the side.

"Where were they last?"

"They completed half of their mission to get to you, Captain," Sitwell said, a small grin forming on his face when he noticed the soldier stop in his tracks. "After shooting the Director, they destroyed their tracking locators and went off grid. They've been searching for them, but with no avail."

Steve exhaled a long breath and balled up his fists, his temper quickly getting the best of him as he rushed forward to grab the agent again. This time, he was more rough, and the older man winced in pain.

"Captain..." Sam said softly in warning. They weren't meant to actually hurt anyone.

Steve ignored the warning and brought the agent in to close. "Where did the tracker have them last?" he hissed, his hands dangerously close to his neck.

"Brooklyn," he muttered, his breaths coming out ragged. He was terrified of this side of Steve. "But the likelihood of them staying in this area, in the country, is low."

Steve stared him down, his gaze unwavering as he tried to decide if this man was telling the truth. He he saw no tells of him lying, he quickly let go of him and started to walk away.

"Nat, take care of him," he ordered, walking through the doorway that led him down from the roof.

Natasha stepped forward and gave him a short grin before swiftly kicking him in the jaw, effectively knocking him unconscious. She glanced up at Sam and sighed heavily, silently agreeing with him.

Steve was going to lose control soon, and neither of them knew what they would do if it came to that.

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Enjoy this short chapter! Sorry there wasn't any Lily or Bucky, but they will be in the next chapter :)_

 _Vote and comment!_


	16. 15

The Winter laid on the lumpy couch, her unwavering eyes staring blankly at the decaying ceiling. They have been hiding in this abandoned apartment building for a few days, and her anxiety that HYDRA was going to find them was slowly escalating each moment they stayed here. She knew that they would eventually be found, but she was hopeful that the plan she was formulating in her mind would help them escape from their clutches. Or at least, help her brother. The more the both of them retained their memories, and the longer they stayed away from those machines that wiped their minds, the more they started to remember about their past.

It started with little things, like certain colors popping in their memories or a loud laugh resonating through their dreams. Her brother also started to remember a name, James Buchanan Barnes, and soon they realized that that was his name. The night that happened was the first time she has seen a genuine smile stretch across his face.

Getting lost in her thoughts tended to be a very dangerous thing, because as she was lost in her mind, she missed the faint sounds of footsteps approaching the room they were in. It wasn't until she heard whispering right outside the door that she snapped up. She was too late though, because soon the door was kicked in, and gunfire was immediately raining down on her.

Out of instinct, she threw herself over the couch and threw it up as a makeshift cover. She could hear her brother curse as he woke up from his nap, but she didn't dare turn her head in fear that she would lose focus again. Looking around her surroundings, she noticed that the closest weapon she could get her hands onto were the ones that were pointing at her. Everything else was too far away, and she had to act fast if she wanted to get out of this situation alive.

The Winter closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath as she concentrated on the fight before her. By simply listening, she could sense where the attackers were, and she tensed her body up before using all her strength to push the couch forward. The couch, which was in tatters at this point, took down some of the attackers, but she didn't wait to count how many before she rushed over to one of the fallen guns.

In seconds she had the weapon aimed, and she took out a few more. In the dark, she couldn't see how many were left or where they were at, so she rolled herself into the kitchen area where she would be covered by walls. She took this moment to glance over at her brother, who was hiding around the corner, shooting at the intruders as well. She huffed angrily and squatted down, thinking quickly. She had to protect her brother, she promised to both herself and to him that she would protect him, and she wasn't going to break that promise.

She peeked around the corner and shot the gun a few times before she looked over at James once again, making eye contact with him. She motioned for him to come over to her, and he nodded before breaking into a run to get over to her. As he did, she continued to shoot to watch his back.

"What the hell is happening?" James hissed as he pulled her back behind the safety of the wall. He was frazzled, sleep still lingering in his body,

"I don't know, they just came out of nowhere," she responded, just as tense as he was. "We need to get out of here. From what I can tell, we aren't surrounded, at least yet. We can go through the back window."

James nodded in agreement and leaned over to peek around the corner. The gunfire had ceased, and it was eerily silent in the apartment, meaning they were looking for the two of them.

"HYDRA?" he whispered softly, wondering if they had finally been found, but his sister just shook her head.

"I don't know, and I don't care to find out," she mumbled, clenching her jaw. "I have a plan, but you have to listen to me, okay?"

James nodded without hesitation. She usually came up with their plans, and it has never failed either of them before. He trusts her with every inch of his body, he would do whatever his sister would say.

"You run to the window, and leave. I'll play distraction," she said softly, giving him a look when he looked like he was going to protest, "You know I am the faster than you. I'm smaller, I can outrun or hide to get away from them if it comes to that."

"No, I'm not just going to leave you."

"James," she murmured, grabbing his face roughly to make him look into her eyes, "go through that damn window and _run_. I will find you, I promise."

He searched her face, a moment of silence passing between them before he reluctantly nodded. She kissed his forehead softly and gave him a small smile before nodding back and standing up straight.

"Go," she ordered before rounding the corner. Using her heightened senses, she could hear their footsteps, and she was quick to aim her gun to shoot. As soon as she did, she started to get shot at, but she dodged to the side at the last minute.

James watched his sister carefully, waiting for the right moment to run back to the bedroom to exit through the window. He watched her movements, his body flinching and tensing every time a bullet almost hit her. Anytime he had to watch his sister get hurt, it made him feel sick, and if she was to get hurt now, he knew that he would never leave this apartment without her. That could end badly for both of them.

Just as he exhaled a deep breath, he saw his opportunity to go. The remaining intruders had their backs to him since they were solely focused on his sister, who was the immediate threat. Silently, he ran to the bedroom. Grabbing the old bag he has been using to hold his things, he almost made it out the window before he heard the familiar yelp from his sister. He froze, and he wiped his head back, watching as his sister fell to the ground after being hit by a bullet.

"Lily!" he screamed out of habit, her name ripping through his mouth before he could comphrhend what he was calling her. That was her name, and he had only remembered when she was hit, possibly dying.

Lillian shot at the closest man and glanced at her brother, who was halfway out the window. She knew that he would stay and help fight, but she was not having that. The bullet had hit her side, but she ignored the pain as she stood back up to her feet. She was distracted by making sure he brother had gotten away, she wasn't paying attention until the bullet had tore through her skin.

Grabbing the nearest thing beside her, which was side table, she threw it at towards her brother. She had to make him leave and go, and since the men knew that he was still here, she had to act fast. The table hit her brother, causing him to fall out of the window. Falling three stories was not ideal, but he effectively caught himself before he hit the ground. He could still hear the gun fire, and it made him anxious, but he knew he had to go without his sister. Fighting his instincts to stay and fight, and ignoring the salty tears that started to escape from the corner of his eyes, he ran as fast as he could away from the building.

Lillian clenched her jaw when she watched her brother fall out the window, and she just hoped that he was okay. She didn't spend too much time dwelling on it, because another bullet ripped through her body. This one hit her leg, and she fell to her knee, grunting in pain. She raised her gun and shot through the man's head before forcing herself up and running towards the kitchen once again.

A strong hand wrapped around her upper arm, pulling her backwards, but her body acted on instinct. She pivoted to the side and pushed the assailant forward, his body hitting the counter roughly. She grabbed the back of his neck and shoved his head into the sink, which was filled with dirty water due to the fact the sink was clogged. Clenching her jaw, she watched as he struggled underneath her, but she didn't release his body until he went limp, and she knew that he was dead.

Lillian threw his body down and turned around, her chest heaving as she struggled to take deep breaths. She couldn't hear or see anyone else in the apartment, and the only thing she smelled was the metallic blood that was seeping through the rotting floor. Her body seemed to think that the danger was over, and she leaned against the counter, her adrenaline keeping the pain from the bullet wounds to the side. She had to leave, with what little energy she had left, so she limped her way to the bedroom.

The blood was rushing in her ears, so she didn't hear the echo of footsteps approach from behind. She thought she was alone until she felt a pair of hands grasp her throat and throw her down onto the ground, where she landed on her bloodied side. As she landed on her wound, she yelled loudly in pain, and she felt the room spin. A strong kick sent her onto her back, and she started to cough as another one hit the bullet wound. She tried to grab at whoever was hurting her, but she was too weak, so she just looked up with hazy eyes.

A familiar grin spread across her attackers face, and she knew exactly who it was.

"Hey there Winter," Rumlow said with a smirk as he kneeled down beside her. He easily grabbed her hands when she tried hitting and punching him, but she was too weak to make contact with his body. "Pierce didn't like that you tried running, so guess who he sent to retrieve you? I gotta admit, it was hard to try and find where you two were at, but thanks to some effort from STRIKE and SHIELD, we found you."

Lillian whimpered as he squeezed her wrists, and she struggled against him though she knew that it was useless. She was trapped and caught, and that made Rumlow feel ecstatic.

"Just me," she hissed, glaring dangerously at him, which only made him laugh in amusement.

"You're the only one we need," he said, releasing her hands so he could stand up straight. He laughed again when he saw confusion flicker across her face. "Sleep well," he said before kicking her with all his strength in the head, which effectively knocked her unconscious.

...

Steve Rogers has been sitting in spare bedroom at Sam's house for hours, just staring down at the files he had stolen from SHIELD. He had these practically memorized by now, but he couldn't help but just stare at the pictures of them, especially Lillian. His heart was aching, and he knew that he was letting himself fall into some dark void as he became obsessed with finding them. Time was lost to him, and he didn't notice that Natasha had entered and was standing in front of him until he saw shadows shift and move around.

His cloudy blue eyes slowly glanced up, meeting her strong and concerned gaze as she stood in front of him. He's been avoiding her since the incident on the roof. He wasn't proud of how he acted or handled himself, but he didn't regret it.

"Steve," Natasha said as he looked back down at the files. She knew what was eating him up, but she had some news for him. "They found her, STRIKE did."

Steve snapped his eyes back up and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What? Lily?" he asked as he stood up, "They found her? Where? How do you know?"

"I have my ways," she replied with a sly grin, then nodded towards the door as a signal to leave the room, "C'mon, I'll tell you everything downstairs. We have a lot of work to do if you want to get her back."

Steve followed her out of the room, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, he was beyond excitement at this point. As they entered Sam's kitchen, he felt his emotions catch up to him.

"Where are they keeping her?" he asked as he sat down beside Sam, who was going through some papers.

"At SHIELD," he responded, showing the Avenger the little information they had on the situation, "It seems as if they are keeping her in some sort of cell as a prisoner."

Steve tensed up as he read where Lillian was being held, and what type of things they were going to do to get information out of her.

"They found her in Virgina?" he whispered softly, his breath catching in his throat. He was confused until he saw the address of the place, and where the abandoned building was located at. He knew where that was, and he knew the special meaning behind that place.

"Steve?" Natasha asked softly when she saw his body tense up.

"I know where she was hiding," he murmured, sighing heavily, "It was the last place I saw her. After Buck fell from the train, I took her with me to get her away. I had a few days off, and I wanted to take her to Richmond. We stayed with someone from the 107th that knew Bucky, at these apartments. We stayed there for almost a week before..." he voice trailed off and he closed his eyes, trying to not remember.

"What happened?" Natasha murmured, notcing that he was getting emotional again.

"The uh... The man that we stayed with turned out to be a double agent with HYDRA," he said, shaking his head as he opened his eyes. "I lost her, and the next week, I crashed the plane into the ice." He didn't want to tell that story, it was too painful to relive, and he didn't want his friends pity.

"You lost her?" Sam asked, leaning forward, though Steve just shook his head.

"We need to find a way to break her out," he said, changing the subject abruptly, "She can't stay there. They were in hiding, they didn't want to be found." He hesitated as he glanced over the rest of the files. "Did they not get Bucky?"

"There was no evidence that he was even with her to begin with," Natasha said, casting a quick glance at Sam. "STRIKE is still looking for him."

"They wouldn't have split off unless it was deliberate," Steve said with confidence, putting the files down to look up at his friends. "If he's gone, he's gone. It's going to be tough to find him before STRIKE or HYDRA does. Our focus should be to get Lillian out, she could help us find where Bucky is at."

Sam nodded in agreement and licked his lips in thought, his body leaning back into the chair he was sitting in.

"It's going to be hard to get her out quietly," he said, thinking of all the steps they would have to go through to get her out.

"Who said anything about quiet?" Steve said with a small smile as he stood to his feet. "Suit up, we have a new mission."

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Thank you for reading! Please favorite and comment, because I would like to know that my readers are enjoying this story!_


	17. 16

"Where is he?"

Lillian rolled her eyes for about the hundredth time at that question before rolling her head to the side to look around the interrogation room again. She's been sitting in the same uncomfortable chair in the same small room for _hours_ now, getting asked the same question over and over. The only thing these agents wanted to know was where her brother was at, but she honestly didn't know. Even if she did, she would die first before giving away his location.

She turned her focus back to the agent that was currently talking, and she studied him. STRIKE, SHIELD, HYDRA... they were all the same to her. They all looked the same, they all shouted at her the same.

Being as drugged up as she was to subdue her strength, she couldn't pay much attention to what this agent was saying, she felt like she was encased in jello. It didn't help that these chains she was in was cutting into her wrists, her cold blood starting to trail down her arm. She could tell her silence and inability to focus was getting on this man's last nerve, because he slammed his fists against the steel table angrily.

"Listen here, you stupid bitch-"

She cut him out with her laughter, her head thrown back in amusement.

"We're resorting to name calling?" she asked softly, her voice slurred as her body tried to fight the drugs that were in her system. She knew they weren't messing around with their precautions, which was a good thing. As soon as she felt well enough, she was breaking out of here.

"I think I should take it from here," a new voice said, and Lillian lazily looked over to the one door. Rumlow gave her a threatening smile as the other agent exited, and he slowly sat down in the chair across from her. "You should be thankful that you're here instead of the other place they wanted to keep you."

Lillian snorted. "And what could be worse than this?"

"I think you know," he hummed, leaning forward onto his arms and smiling when he saw the assassin tense up. "They got a nice, unused, contained cell a few floors down that I think might suit you _very_ well."

She narrowed her eyes at him and looked away, her skin crawling at the mention of being locked up like an animal again. She didn't respond for a moment, and she licked her dry lips before turning her attention back to Rumlow.

"I'm not telling you where he's at," her voice was low and dangerous, and her eyes were blank.

"Maybe not yet, but I have my ways принцесса ( **Princess** )," he mused, leaning back in his seat as he watched her tough demeanor start to break. He knew how to get under her skin, that was his job.

"You can't do anything with SHIELD breathing down your neck, or did you forget that you're hiding your real identity?" she shot back, a smirk forming on her face when he sent a glare her way. "I'm sure those who have not betrayed their country would be glad to hear that SHIELD and STRIKE has been compromised by a dead organization-"

Rumlow hit the table with force, the sound echoing loudly in the confined space, which made Lillian trail off into a soft laugh.

"What's the matter agent?" she asked, leaning forward. The chains rattled at the sudden movement, and it caused Rumlow to flinch out of habit. Even though she was drugged and restrained, he knew better than to let his guard down around her. "You can't touch me while we're here. And you can't move me without causing suspicion. So, go ahead, do whatever you want to do, I won't tell you a thing."

He exhaled a long breath and narrowed his eyes at her as the words hung silently in the air, and he gave her a short nod.

"As you wish," he said, standing to his feet. He shot her a smile before heading towards the door. "Enjoy this... _freedom_ while you can Winter. You'll soon forget it."

His voice carried out of the room, and Lillian was forced to stare at her reflection from the one way mirror. She could still hear him from the other side even though it was muffled, and it sent shivers up her spine.

"Send her to the containment cell, the drugs are wearing off. She's a dangerous animal, we need to take precautions."

Heavily equipped guards entered the room then, and she was injected with even more of that liquid, causing her vision to instantly swim. She didn't notice that she was unchained from the table, and she couldn't fight back as she was practically dragged out of the room. She stumbled over her feet, and she struggled against the harsh hold on her upper arm, but it was no use. She was outmatched.

Time was a blur, and in no time she felt her body get shoved into a chair, and her arms were strapped down. She blinked a few times and looked at her surroundings, humming in discomfort as the guards made these restraints tight and painful. She could tell this cell was made for someone with the super soldier serum in their body, and as the bullet proof door closed, she started to struggle against the straps. She hated small spaces like this, it made her heart race uncomfortably and her back sweat.

Rumlow crossed his arms as he stood off to the side, making sure that she was secured correctly, and that there was no way she could break out. Watching her panic and struggle brought a sadistic grin pull on his lips, and he moved forward once the door was locked.

"What's the matter?" he said, his tone mocking. "You said I couldn't touch you while we were here, so this is the next best thing. How are ya feeling?" He tapped against the glass, causing her to flinch her head to the side. Watching the drugged assassins was amusing for him. He could see her body shake and sweat from the side effects, and her fear of tight spaces were finally setting in.

He glanced at the guards and gave them a wave, dismissing them to their watch posts. With one last victorious glance at the HYDRA assassin, he turned his heel and walked away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

...

"Steve," Natasha started, her head shaking at his plan, "Are you sure we should ask Stark for assistance? I think we can get your girlfriend out without him."

Steve shook his head as he adjusted the hat on his head, and he walked into the Stark building. They were currently in disguise so they could get in without getting arrested, since the two Avengers were currently wanted.

"We need him," he said as they quickly entered the closing elevator. He gave some of the workers a friendly smile before turning their back on them. So far, their disguises were working, even though they were just baseball caps and dark sunglasses. Sam was only wearing glasses, since he technically wasn't wanted, but he argued that he was a part of this "team" so he had to dress the part.

Natasha shook her head since she couldn't vocally respond to him without giving away their cover. This plan that he had thought of was not a good one, and it was dangerous, but she couldn't think of anything better so here they were. The elevator soon cleared out, and it was just the three of them.

"C'mon Nat, it'll be fun," Sam said, trying to lighten the mood while Steve tinkered with the elevator panel to get them up to the top. "How bad can Tony even be?"

"How bad..? You don't even know the half out it," she muttered, taking the hat off her head and running her hand through her hair.

"Hey, you're ruining your disguise," Sam protested, sighing heavily when the only response he got was her middle finger and a breathy laugh from Steve as he got the elevator to continue to go up.

"Do you even think he'll help us?" Natasha asked, sliding her glasses up so she could see better.

"I hope so, or this is about to get really awkward," Sam replied before Steve, which caused the older man to smile in amusement.

"Exactly," he said, patting his friend on the shoulder before slipping off his own glasses, and putting them in his back pocket, which caused Sam to sigh heavily.

"You guys don't know how to properly sneak into places," he mumbled, mainly to himself, but it caused Natasha to scoff.

"Yeah, _we_ don't know how to sneak into places," she argued, shaking her head.

"Well, you're taking off your glasses and hats! People will recognize you."

"Alright," Steve said, trying to not laugh at their banter. The elevator came to a stop, and he exited first as soon as the doors opened.

"Well, Captain, I gotta say, I'm a bit surprised you're here," Tony Stark said as he saw the three walk towards him. He knew they were coming up, JARVIS had informed him long before they entered the elevator. "Well, I'm not surprised you're _here_ , because I let you guys come up but- You know what I mean," he said as he waved himself off.

"We need your help," Steve said, getting straight to the point. He didn't have time to waste with small talk, he wanted to get Lillian out of there as soon as he could.

"Yes, yes. Something about your little girly friend?" Tony said, walking towards them. "I heard that she's in some cell under SHIELD?"

Steve gave him a short nod and tensed up when he got closer to him, his eyes casting down to his feet.

"What did you need me for?"

"We need help getting her out," the soldier said, looking back up at him and studying his face to gauge a reaction.

Tony raised an eyebrow at that and looked over Natasha, who raised an eyebrow and shrugged a little at his stare. He turned his attention to the other one that was with them, and tilted his head to the side a bit.

"Who's this?" he asked, getting off track like he normally does.

"Uh, Sam Wilson," he responded, sticking his hand out in greeting. Tony smiled and shook his hand before they were interrupted by Steve.

"Tony," he said, causing the older man to look back at him, the same smile spread across his face.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, yes. I'll help you guys," he said, his hand waving them off and acting like this wasn't as big of a deal that it was. "Shouldn't be that hard, breaking a wanted, highly dangerous, murderous assassin out of a heavily guarded cell."

Natasha rolled her eyes at his antics and looked at Steve, who looked just as tired with Tony's attitude as she was.

"Great, should we go now?" she asked, wanting to get this mission over before Lillian was moved to a different location.

"Suit up, Stark," Steve said, heading back to the elevator with his two friends behind him.

"Already am, Rogers," Tony sassed, following after them with a giddy hop in his step. "You know, this is kind of fun. I miss going against the laws of the country, it gives you a sort of adrenaline kick."

Natasha sighed heavily as the doors closed, and she was confined in the small space with three large men.

"Does he ever stop?" Sam asked, watching Tony with a weary gaze.

"No he does not," Steve said with an amused grin as Sam groaned in annoyance and Tony laughed.

...

Lillian groaned softly to herself as the effects of the drug wore off, and she could feel the jolts of pain in her arms every time she moved in her seat. She's been stuck in this containment cell for hours now, and she was beginning to lose feeling in her hands and legs from the say she was positioned and restrained. A heavy sigh escaped her and she shook her head in an attempt to get her sweaty hair out her face, but she gave up when she was making it worse. The only good thing about this was that she hasn't seen Rumlow since she was first shoved into his cell.

But good things never last in her life.

"Looks like someone is becoming restless," a male voice said as he came closer.

When Lillian saw who it was she rolled her eyes and leaned back, her head resting on the headrest behind her.

"If you're trying to annoy me to death, you might be succeeding," she muttered, her voice hoarse and dry from the lack of water. She didn't remember that last time she ate or drank anything, and it was becoming more evident to Rumlow.

"Tsk tsk, we don't want that happening, now do we?" he asked with a large grin, his eyes examining every part of her body.

"Oh no, we don't," she sassed, rolling her eyes. She twisted her wrists again, but grimaced when she felt the straps rub against her open wounds.

Rumlow smirked and opened his mouth to respond, but he was interrupted by someone who was speaking fast in his ear piece. He furrowed his eyebrows and pressed a hand against his ear so he could try and understand what was being said to him.

"Agent, slow down. _Who_ is here?" he asked, turning his back on the locked assassin. "Slow down, you're not making any sense. Two flying objects... No, we don't... Agent?" He was met with silence before he heard a familiar voice.

"Agent Rumlow," Natasha said in the com, hardly out of breath after taking out a handful of agents. "I suggest you find some better agents to watch after all your stuff. I'm not even breaking a sweat."

Rumlow tensed up and he glanced over his shoulder at Lillian, who was watching him closely. He knew that with her heightened senses, she could easily hear what was being said.

"The famous Black Widow," he said, keeping his voice even and calm, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You have something that my friend wants," she said, watching out the glass walls as Steve knocked out multiple agents to get the stairs so he could get to Lillian. "And he seems pretty determined to get her back."

Rumlow clenched his jaw and tossed the ear piece away, and he quickly ordered the guards and agents that were already down there with him to get ready for an attack. From what he could tell, Steve Rogers was coming down here, and he had a full team to back him up.

He turned around and walked back to the HYDRA assassin, his eyes darkening as he pulled out a small booklet from his pocket.

"Well, Winter, looks like we gotta get you out of there earlier than expected," he said, turning to the correct page. Just like her brother, she had a set of words that would bring back the murderous assassin to the surface, and he wanted to get her out before Steve managed to get down here.

Lillian immediately started to struggle more against her restraints when her eyes landed on what her was holding. She started to feel hopeful when she heard that someone was on their way to get her, but now she was panicking. If her assumption was right, the man that was on his way was someone she knew, and she didn't want to hurt anyone anymore.

No, no, please," she begged, shaking her head as she used what strength she had to try and snap the straps on her arms. She was desperate, and she ignored the excruciating pain from her wrists as she struggled.

"одеяло ( **pillow** )," Rumlow started, completely ignoring how she was fighting to get out of the cell to stop him. "три ( **three** ), холодильник ( **refrigerator** ), песенник ( **songwriter** )-" He immediately stopped and tensed up he heard the door break down, and Steve Rogers entered the room, the look of anger and determination set across his face. He glanced back and moved closer to the cell as the guards started to fight the Captain so he could continue doing what he was doing.

Steve narrowed his eyes at Rumlow before shifting his gaze to Lillian, who seemed to be in pain as she tried to break out of the cell. He couldn't hear what the double-agent was muttering, but by the look on her face, it wasn't good.

He immediately threw his shield at the first few guards that approached him, effectively knocking them down and out. He didn't care about how much force he was using, he was going to get her out of here. Once those guards fell, he started to sprint towards Rumlow, though an agent threw their body at him, causing him to get knocked down.

"цвет ( **color** )," Rumlow continued, his concentration wavering as he heard what was going on behind him. He couldn't afford to get distracted, not when he was this close. "нуль ( **zero** )."

Lillian let out a painful scream when she felt her head start to pound, and her body was spazzing in the chair. She could feel The Winter push her way through, and she was doing everything in her power to keep herself sane, but it was too painful.

"Lily!" Steve called out, pushing the agent off of him. That scream resurfaced memories, and it made his heart stop. He clenched his jaw and pulled himself up, swiping is shield up from the floor and throwing it at Rumlow before he was shoved against the wall from one of the guards.

The shield hit Rumlow in the back of the knees, and he flipped back, the little book flying from his fingers and skidding a few feet away. He groaned in pain and rolled onto his side, frantically searching for where the book went. His fingers stretched towards the book, but it soon disappeared underneath an iron foot.

"Agent Rumlow," Tony greeted from inside his suit as he landed on top of the book purposefully. "You seem to be doing some pretty illegal things."

Rumlow huffed and dropped his arm before forcing himself to stand up to his feet. He had a bloody lip now, from biting it as he fell, but he gave the Iron Man a short laugh.

"So do you, Mr. Stark," he shot back, raising an eyebrow at him. His eyes flickered over to Steve as he fought his way over to the cell where Lillian was still struggling in.

"Just step off to the side so we can get who we came for," Tony said, waving him off. He would rather not fight if he could help it due to his PTSD.

"No can do, metal man. I have something I need to complete so if _you_ could just step off to the side..."

Tony sighed heavily and mumbled to himself before raising his hand, his blast gearing up in case this agent doesn't move out of his way.

"I'll only ask politely one last time," Tony said, "move... please."

Rumlow grinned and tilted his head to the side as he took a few steps away from the cell, which made Tony take a few steps forward out of habit. Just when he saw his chance to go, he dived towards his feet and grabbed the small book off the floor as Tony flew up, confused as to what his tactics were.

At the same time, Steve sent a swift punch to the guard's face and ran to the cell, his hands pressing against the cool glass of the cell. He watched helplessly as Lillian squirmed and tried pulling her arms up, the restraints strapped over her arms slowly breaking.

"Lily, it's okay," he murmured, trying to pry the the door open with his hands, but he knew that wasn't going to do anything. He had to find a way to break the glass since no one was going to willingly give him the code to open the door.

"It hurts," she hissed, not being able to see clearly as her head pounded. She didn't know who was talking to her, or who was fighting to get her out. The only thing she was focused on was the struggle in her mind.

"I know baby, I'm getting you out," he murmured, glancing back to find where his shield was. He watched Tony fight Rumlow for a moment before his eyes landed on the familiar red and blue of the shield. He carefully dodged between the fighting and picked it up, and was met with a gun pointed at his forehead.

Before he could even say or react, the gun was kicked out of the agents hand, and Steve looked up.

"Get her out," Natasha said, giving him a stiff nod before helping Tony with the rest of the agents and guards.

He clenched his jaw and gripped his shield tightly before turning around and running to Lillian again. Rumlow had managed to escape Tony among the chaos, and he went back to trying to bring The Winter out. When Steve heard what he was muttered, he grew angrier, and his emotions took over his actions.

He grabbed the agent by the back of the neck and threw him against the cell, cracking the glass just a little. He threw himself over Rumlow and started to throw punch after punch, blinded by rage. Every emotion that built up, from losing her the first time to now, he put into his punches, and soon he felt hands grab his forearms to pull him off.

Steve pulled back and started to breathe heavy, getting back in control of what he was doing, and he glanced back to see who had pulled him up. Sam grimaced as he looked at how the double-agent looked, but he didn't judge Steve. Rumlow started to laugh softly, which drew the attention of the Captain once more, and titled his head to the side to spit out some blood that was building up in his mouth.

"Who knew the Captain packed such a good punch?" Rumlow said, hissing when Steve grabbed him by the front of the shirt and pulling him up to his feet.

"Get her out of there," Steve demanded, his eyes dark and dangerous. Even the tone of his voice was slightly off from normal, and it made Sam uneasy.

"No can do," he said, shoving Steve away from him roughly. "That's against my orders."

Steve clenched his jaw and acted without thinking, his fist connecting with Rumlow's cheek which caused him to stumble back. Sam grabbed Steve again and pulled him back before the solider would throw himself at the agent again.

"I won't ask again, Rumlow," Steve said as he shoved Sam away from him, a little more rough than what he meant.

"And I still won't do it," the agent spat, pushing Steve back, which made him take a few steps back in surprise. "The bitch is ours, she belongs to HYDRA, and soon The Winter will come out and guess who's going to be first on her hit list?" A cruel laugh escaped from him and he pointed at Steve's chest. "You, and I'm going to make sure your death is a nice and slow one. I'll make sure it gets recorded to so I can make her watch it and watch it again, so she always knows that _she_ was the one that killed you."

As he ranted, Lillian's restraints snapped, and she exhaled a heavy breath. Even though The Winter was not present, she could feel her strength coming back, and her anger was surging through her veins. She may not recognize the blonde man in uniform that was helping her, but she knew the emotion she felt every time she saw him, and that was enough for her to help out. The men were too engrossed with their own fights that they didn't realize, see, or hear her punching the glass where it was cracked from Steve throwing Rumlow into it.

Steve clenched his jaw as his body tensed up, but before he could hit Rumlow to make him stop talking, he was thrown to the floor, and so was Sam. More agents had shown up, and they were outnumbered.

Rumlow smirked and towered over Steve as one of the agents handed him a hand gun. He briefly looked over it before pointing it at the Captain's face, his smile widening.

"Let's end this silly fight, shall we?" he asked, his fun aiming at his chest. He knew where to hit where it wouldn't necessarily kill him, just enough to bring him to the brink of unconsciousness. Just before he could pull the trigger, he was thrown backwards, and the gun clattered to the ground.

Standing free from the cell, with her had bloody from punching the glass, was Lillian, and she was full of hate.

"We shall," she hissed, grabbing a nearby agent by the throat and ripping the gun out of their hands before tossing them to the side and against the wall.

With her gun raised, she began firing, taking down every agent and guard that was still standing in the room. The part of The Winter that had come out made it easy to not feel guilty about killing, and she didn't care about the yells and the screams that came from the fallen. Steven quickly scrambled to his feet and grabbed her wrist, pulling it up so the gun was raised to the ceiling and not at a body. He frowned when he felt the blood on her wrists, but he didn't let go.

"Lily," he said softly, making the woman snap her empty gaze towards him.

She furrowed her eyebrows and searched his face, desperately trying to find out who he was, and why his touch made her feel calm and safe. Her grip on the gun loosened, and her body relaxed, before she saw someone move out of the corner of her eyes and instinct took over. She ripped her arm out of Steve's grip and aimed her gun to the side, firing at who had moved, which was Sam.

"WHOA! Your side! Your side!" Sam said as the gun hit his wing and missed his body, and he immediately put his hands up. "I'm on your side!"

Steve grabbed the gun and tore it from her hands before pulling her into his body as a way to restrain her and also just hold her. Lillian moved her head to the side, accidentally brushing her nose against his neck, and she froze. His smell brought her back to seventy years ago, and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Stevie?" she mumbled, confused by what was happening. She still didn't know who this man was that was holding her, but she felt comforted, and his embrace was so familiar.

"Its me, Lily," he murmured, squeezing her a little more tightly, which made her tense up. He didn't let go though, and they stayed in this embrace for a few silent seconds before she relaxed, and she buried her face into his neck.

"I got you Lily, you're okay now, I promise."

* * *

 **Unedited.**

 _Thanks for reading! Please favorite and comment if you like these longer chapters!_

 _I was also thinking of making a Bucky spin-off fic, so if you would enjoy reading that, let me know!_


	18. 17

Lillian clung onto Steve's shirt tightly and pulled him closer, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Memories were starting to break through the years of loss in her head, and even though she was in pain, his hold and homey scent made her push it to the side. She was starting to feel more human in just these mere seconds of being embraced in his arms than she has in the past, and she knew that she would never want to let this feeling go.

"I hate to break this reunion up," Natasha said, walking over to them quickly, "but Rumlow escaped, and unless you're in for more fighting, I suggest we leave. Now."

Steve, who was wrapped up in running his fingers through Lillian's hair again, snapped out of his fantasy and slowly pulled away from her. When he felt her tightened her hold on his arm, he gently grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Let's go," he murmured, dragging her out of the facility as fast as he could before anyone could take her away from him again.

Lillian stumbled after Steve quietly even though her body was on edge. While she may remember Steve, _slightly_ , she had no idea who the others were, and she was uncomfortable around new people. In the far back corner of her mind, The Winter was begging to be released and was pushing against the barrier that kept the killer locked up, and she was worried that she would hurt these people that helped her escape from Rumlow. It took a lot of energy to keep herself calm and collected, so she allowed the others to push her in the right direction and into a car that she assumed they had stolen.

"First, we need to fix her up. Her hands look like they've been through a blender," Sam said, as he got into the passenger seat of the car Natasha had hot wired.

"I might have some stuff in the lab that could help," Tony said, looking over Lillian's body. "Meet me in the tower. We can fix her up then find a place to hide her since the tower will be one of the first places they'll look."

Steve nodded and gently pushed Lillian into the back of the car before getting in behind her. As soon as everyone was in, Natasha drove off as quick as she could without making it seem suspicious while Tony blasted off into the direction of his tower.

The Captain took this moment to fully look at Lillian, taking in her features and all the new scars that littered her skin. She looked the same as she did all those years ago, but he couldn't help but seem every little difference. He didn't realize how much he was staring until he was staring into her dark eyes.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft and hoarse. She didn't know what else to say to relieve the tension that was building in the back, so she said the first thing that was on her tongue.

"Anything for you," Steve said with a soft smile, which caused her face to feel warm.

"I knew you, yes?" she asked after a moments hesitation, trying to not make this awkward but it seemed she did just that by the way Sam and Natasha shifted in their seats in the front.

"Yes," he said, unable to help the breathy chuckle that escaped him. "We were... friends."

"No," Lillian replied, narrowing her eyes slightly as she studied the way his eyes darkened at the word.

"N-No...?" His voice was small as he repeated what she had said, and he felt his body practically deflate.

"We were more than friends," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "You smell like home, so we were more than friends." It sounded like she was telling herself more than she was telling Steve, but she did sound sure of herself.

Steve blushed and looked down at his lap, where he was still holding onto her hand. That was one of the things that she would always tell him when they were together, that he smelled and felt like home to her, and it made him feel like the most important thing in the world.

"Though I can hardly smell it through your sweat. You need a shower," she continued, her original personality slowly coming back. "We all do, it kind of smells in this car."

Sam couldn't stop the loud laugh that came from him because of that sudden statement, and he threw his head back just as Natasha started to chuckle with him.

"Damn straight Cap, you smell," he said in agreement, throwing a wink back to the couple, which made both of them smile widely.

Steve laughed along with his friends and pulled Lillian closer to kiss the top of her head. He was starting to get his Lily back, and he couldn't feel more content and carefree.

...

Lillian sat on a steel table in Tony's lab, watching the scientist run between various things to find something that would help her hands. Steve was standing beside her, chewing on his bottom lip as he looked between his love and friend. He wanted to go shower and clean up, but the moment he had stepped away from her earlier, she had started to panic, and it nearly broke his heart. So here he was, standing in dried blood and sweat hours after the fight, in his uncomfortable tight suit.

"Can I see your hands?" Tony asked gently as he sat in his wheeled chair in front of the girl.

She frowned slightly as she played with her dirty shirt, finding it hard to trust someone else. She sent a glance at Steve, who smiled and nodded gently, before she slowly reached forward, offering Tony her bloodied hands. The older avenger smiled softly and gently grabbed one of her hands to examine just how deep the cuts were.

"Good news," he said, looking at the other hand, "I think you only need a few stitches and a couple pain meds, and you'll be set." He gave her a short wink before rolling himself to the nearby table to grab a needle and thread to stitch her hands. He didn't have much medical knowledge, or any really, but he knew how to handle some easy stitches after working with the Avengers.

Steve hummed softly in relief and gently ran his fingers through Lillian's dark hair, getting some of the knots out. He could tell it's been awhile since she had properly cleaned herself, and it made his heart squeeze.

"When we're done here, we can get you cleaned up, okay?" he asked softly before kissing her forehead gently.

Lillian smiled and nodded, relaxing under his gently touches. Since arriving in this building, she noticed that he was always touching her in some sort of way, whether it be holding hands or setting his hand on her back, he always had contact with her, and it made her feel more relaxed in this new place. Her attention drew back to Tony as he wheeled his way back to them, and her smile dropped as her body tensed.

"Ready?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her before reaching for one of her hands. "Promise me you won't go all assassin on me when I stitch you up, okay? I have no doubt that you could easily take me out."

"Don't worry," she said, her lips turning up slightly, "I have been through much worse than a needle going through my hand, and I'm sure Stevie would protect you if I should hurt you."

"Stevie," Tony said with an amused snort as he started stitching her hands. "I like that name, it suits him. I usually go with Spangled Cheeks or something simliar, but I like Stevie."

Steve rolled his eyes at their conversation, but he couldn't stop the slow smile that was forming on his face, though his stomach was twisting at what Lillian had mentioned about going through worse pain.

"I think Lily is the only one who gets to call me by Stevie," he replied, trying to push all of the unpleasant feelings away at the thought of Lillian being hurt.

"Well," Tony said with a heavy sigh as he gently grabbed Lillian's other hand to finish up, "I guess I'll stick with Starry Ass since Stevie is taken." He looked up with he heard her laugh, and he gave her a playful wink. He joked around like this to get her to loosen up and be more comfortable, and it seemed to be working.

"I only have one star on my uniform," Steve mumbled, but it only caused the other two to laugh at him more. He didn't mind though, because he knew what Tony was playing at, and he was glad that he was trying to make this a relaxed space for Lillian.

"There ya go, Tiger," Tony said, his smile widening when he was done. "Set to go."

"Thank you, Tony," Lillian said with a bashful smile, and she slid off the table to stand up. Steve immediately rested his hand on the small of her back.

"Off you go you two," Tony said, dismissing them quickly. "I'll find some place that would be safe enough. Meanwhile, no steamy, touchy-feely shenanigans in my tower, got it?"

Steve felt his face turn red, and he cleared his throat before mumbling under his breath before leading Lillian out of the lab and towards his room that he had in the tower.

"Sorry about Tony," he said when they entered his room, "his attitude is a bit...brash."

Lillian shrugged her shoulder and smile lightly at Steve before she looked around his room, taking in her surroundings.

"I liked it," she whispered, her mind going quickly to learn easy escapes and any weapons she could use out of habit. "It was amusing. I like him." She turned her attention to Steve and smiled more.

Steve hummed softly and gently traced her cheek with his thumb, his eyes gazing over her face as if this was the first time.

"I missed you so much, Lily flower," he murmured, his eyebrows dipping a little at the thought of being without her.

Lillian found herself leaning into his touch, like it was out of habit, and she let out a soft sigh through her nose. While she didn't remember everything that had happened between them all those years ago, she knew there was a connection between them. All these feelings were coming to the surface, and she felt herself falling for him again.

"We should probably get cleaned up," she said, grabbing his hand gently which caused Steve to smile at her.

"You're right. I do kinda smell, don't I?" he teased, kissing her hand gently so he wouldn't disrupt the new stitches. "You can go first."

He led her to the attached bathroom and grabbed a towel from nearby. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see her playing with the bottom of her shirt before pulling it off of her body, which made him tense up. Of course, he has seen her bare before, but he hasn't seen or been around it in such a long time, he felt like a shy kid again.

"I'll uh, yup. I'll grab you some, uh, clean c-clothes," he stuttered, his face turning bright red, and quickly dashed out of the bathroom to search through his drawers to find something small enough to fit her.

As he was fumbling with the clothes, his fingers ran over the familiar small velvet box, and he tensed up. He nearly forgotten what he had kept with him through all those years, and it made him clench his jaw. He refused to look at the box because he didn't want to bring up any of _those_ emotions up yet.

"Stevie?" Lillian asked, poking her head out of the bathroom. She had a tower wrapped tightly around her body, since she felt like Steve was uncomfortable with her bare body. "I don't know how to work your shower."

Steve snapped his gaze up and blinked a few times as he looked over her body, unable to stop himself from doing so. He licked his lips and bit his bottom lip as he met her eyes, and he slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I'll help you," he said, smiling at her as he pulled a random shirt out to go with the shorts he had pulled.

He closed the drawer, pushing the box and what was in it to the back of his mind, and laid the clothes on the bed before walking into the bathroom to help her. Once he got it to an okay temperature, he turned back around and came face to face with Lillian again.

"I'll be right out there if you need me for anything, okay?" he said softly, keeping his gaze and attention to her face.

"Thank you," she said softly, nodding and blushing at his expression. She slowly smiled to herself as she heard the door close, and she let out a heavy sigh.

She had much to relearn and remember when it came to that man.

* * *

 **Unedited**

 _Thank you for reading! Please favorite and comment, so I know you guys are enjoying this story!_


	19. 18

Lillian had placed her small body on top of Steve's unkempt bed as she waited for him to finish in the shower. Her body was more relaxed, and she could finally feel like she could breathe calmly for the first time in years being in a worn, over-sized shirt that smelled like him. She was focusing on how he had decorated his small space when Steve walked out of the bathroom, his pants hanging low on his hips and his bare chest still wet from the shower.

"Hey," he said, a small smile gracing his lips as he made his way over to her, his shirt crumbled in his hand.

"Hi," she giggled, her voice light as she bounced a little when Steve dropped down beside her.

"How are you feeling, doll?" he asked gently, his hand sliding up her arm before he ran his fingers through her drying hair. His smile grew more when he felt her lean into his touch, and he pressed his lips against her forehead.

"Tired," she replied, a low hum escaping her the more Steve played with her hair. Her eyes were starting to close, and he couldn't help but let out a breathy chuckle.

"Lay down, sweetheart," he said as he pulled his hand away, causing her to open her eyes.

"Are you staying here... with me?" she mumbled, her eyes darkening as she began to grow anxious. She didn't want to be alone in a dark room, she didn't think she would be able to sleep.

"Did you want me to stay?"

Lillian licked her bottom lip before slowly nodding, her face starting to heat up in embarrassment. She felt like she was going against her instinct by being this vulnerable in front of someone. Steve stroked her cheek lightly before giving a short nod.

"Then I'll stay," he whispered, slowly standing up so he could pull on his shirt.

She watched him as he grabbed a pillow off the bed and laid on the floor, which caused her to frown, but she didn't argue. She slowly laid down on the bed and sighed heavily, her eyes instantly closing as her head hit the pillow. Even though she was afraid, she didn't feel comfortable enough to lay with someone else that wasn't her brother, so she kept her mouth shut and let herself start to drift off.

Steve rested on his back and stared up at the ceiling, focusing his hearing on Lillian and her breathing. A million things were racing through his mind as he laid there, and he let out a heavy sigh. He didn't know what to do that would help her regain all her memories and bring her back to her old self. While she did seem to be behaving like herself, there were some things that would make her body tense, or she would say something that wasn't like her. He found her staring off into space once or twice, and every time he drug her out of her head, her eyes were dark and dangerous. He was nervous that he wouldn't get his Lily back, he was nervous that she would snap and The Winter would come out, and she would end up hurting someone or herself. He didn't know how to protect her.

With another sigh, he closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep on the hard floor. He didn't mind sleeping on the ground, because he wanted to give her space, but he wished to be on the bed with her small body against his. Just as he began to drift off, a flash of lightning lit up the whole room and an echo of thunder followed after.

His eyes cracked open and he groaned to himself as the sound of the storm overcame the silence that had filled the room. With his deafening mind and the rolling thunder outside, he knew he wasn't going to be falling asleep any time soon. Time ticked by slowly, and when Steve finally glanced over at the alarm clock on the stand above his head, it read 3:37 in bright red letters.

His eyes fluttered closed once again, and he thought that maybe his body would let him fall asleep, but the sound of soft whimpers made him wide awake. He stayed completely still, straining his hearing to see if he was just imagining the soft noises or not. When he didn't hear anything else, he relaxed back against the floor again and let out a big yawn, his eyes automatically closing.

Another whimper echoed through the room, and it caused Steve to sit up, narrowing his eyes in the darkness to look at Lillian. He could hardly make out the faintest of movements on the bed, so he forced himself on his feet and walked around the bed to stand in front of her.

Lillian flinched in her sleep as her nightmares grew worse, and she began mumbling quickly in her sleep. He furrowed his eyebrows and slowly kneeled down in front of her to see if he could hear her better. It didn't help much, mainly because she was mumbling in Russian. She looked like she was in pain, so he reached forward to stroke her cheek and wake her up gently.

The moment he made contact with her skin, her eyes snapped open and lightning glowed throughout the room. The first thing he noticed was the murderous glare glistening in her eyes before she dug her nails into his wrist and pulled him onto the bed. She quickly rolled on top of him and wrapped her hands around his throat, attempting to choke him, but luckily he had grabbed her arm before she could fully squeeze his wind pipe.

"Lily," he gasped, his voice a harsh rasp from the attempted choking.

"Я не могу снова потерпеть неудачу ( **I cannot fail again** )," she hissed, trying to crush and squeeze his throat with all of her strength.

Steve clenched his jaw and struggled beneath her, his leg breaking free from under her body, and he quickly flipped them. He grabbed both of her wrists and pinned her to the mattress, a dark bruise already forming on his throat.

"Lillian!" he hissed, worry gnawing at his stomach as he looked in her feral eyes.

It was difficult to keep a strong hold of her on the bed as she flailed, so he quickly lifted her into his body, his big arms wrapping around her lithe frame. It restricted her movements, and it made her freeze as his warmth embraced her. He leaned in and kissed her hair as he murmured soft words to her to try and bring her back.

Lillian tensed up and squeezed her eyes shut as he senses became overloaded with his smell and his voice. He didn't give up on her, and as moments passed, she became more relaxed in his hold. The nightmare released it's hold on her mind, and when she finally snapped out of her darkness, she whimpered softly.

She cracked her eyes open and was faced with Steve's bicep, which made her frown. She didn't remember what she had dreamed about, or how she got into this position, but as she listened to what he was whispering to her, it didn't take her that long to guess.

"Stevie?" she murmured, her voice soft and scared, like a small child.

He slowly pulled back and looked over her face, searching for any signs that could be evident on her face. When his steel gaze met her scared eyes, his frowned deepened, and his hold turned into a large hug.

"You're okay, sweetheart," he murmured into her hair, gently rocking them back and forth. He was making sure his voice was soft, and he held her gently, because he didn't want to set her off again.

"What happened?" she whispered, feeling quite exhausted as if she had ran a marathon.

"You had a nightmare," he said, pulling back just a little to look over her face again.

The room lit up from the storm outside, and Lillian caught a glimpse of his red skin and bruised throat, and her lips instantly turned down.

"Did... Did I do that?" she said, her voice shaking as she was on the verge of crying.

Steve gently shushed her and kissed her forehead. He knew that she would feel guilty about hurting her, so he didn't confirm what she did. His silence was more than enough of an answer, and a few silent tears escaped from the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to. I-I... my nightmare..." she stumbled over her words before she leaned forward to bury her face into his chest. She had just hurt the one person who tried so hard to help her. She felt like she betrayed him.

"It's okay, Lily flower," he murmured, rubbing small circles against her back to help calm her down.

"I didn't want to hurt you," her voice was shaky as she tried to not completely break down in tears.

He hummed softly and gently rubbed his nose against hers, which helped calm her down a little.

"I'm fine, doll," he whispered, his breath fanning her face, "You're fine. It's fine. Please, don't cry."

Lillian laughed humorlessly but she gave him a short nod, soaking in his closeness. Even after she bruised him, he was there to comfort her. She didn't understand him, she didn't understand his amount of love he felt towards her.

When she had calmed down enough, Steve pulled himself back and gave her a small grin.

"Did you want to talk about what your nightmare was about?" he asked softly, his hand going up to her hair.

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down, unable to meet his gaze as she tried to think about it. She couldn't remember details, she just knew the pain and horror she felt, and how her heart was racing to the point of giving out.

She did remember one thing though, but she refused to even think about that small part.

"I don't remember," she partially lied, her gaze meeting his.

"It's okay if you don't," he replied, feeling like she knew something but she didn't trust him enough to talk to him about it.

He sighed heavily and leaned back on his heels, his eyes flickering over her soft features. He brought his hand up to her face to wipe the remaining tears away.

"Did you want to try sleeping again?"

She frowned at the question and looked around the room in thought. She was still so very tired, but she was terrified of falling asleep again. What if Steve couldn't protect himself like he had? she almost killed him, and she knew that she was capable of succeeding.

"I don't want to hurt you again," she answered, her voice timid.

"You won't," he said, gently laying her down on the mattress. He hesitated a moment before he laid down beside her, his hands sliding to her sides. "I'll be right there, okay? I'll keep your nightmares away."

"You'll stay here?" she mumbled, her small hands sliding to his chest as if they belonged there.

Steve gave a small smile before nodding.

"Right here," he promised, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

She sighed softly and let her eyes fall shut, more relaxed with him holding onto her like that. Her body reacted on instinct, and as she was falling asleep, she shifted closer to him. Steve allowed it, and soon he had her resting her head on his chest, one of his arms wrapped around her waist and the other behind his head.

That's how Tony found them a few hours later, curled up against each other as the morning light seeped through the window. The dark bruise didn't go unnoticed by the older man, and while one or two dirty jokes crossed his mind about where that mark came from, he knew better than that. He re-watched the footage when Jarvis made it aware to him that she seemed mentally unstable, and he cringed at the thought of it.

She was dangerous, and he didn't know if anyone, even Steve, could bring her back. Maybe the old Lillian Barnes from the past should have stayed there. In the past.

* * *

 **extremely unedited**

 _Enjoy this short update! It's late here, so I apologize if this chapter is not as well written as it should be, or if it isn't that detailed._

 _Please follow and comment!_


	20. 19

Lillian woke up that morning to loud male voices yelling at each other and an empty bed. She slowly sat up, her hair askew and Steve's shirt falling off her shoulder, and she looked around the room. Steve wasn't in the room, and a frown instantly formed on her face. At first, she thought he had left her alone because of what she did last night. She wouldn't have blamed him, she was a dangerous problem, and she was afraid of herself, but when she actually listened to the voices that were growing in volume, she realized Steve's was one of them. The other voice she recognized as that scientist, whose name she forgot. They seemed to be in some sort of heated argument, and as she slipped out of the bed, she heard her name was being brought up.

Of course, they had to be arguing about her.

With a heavy sigh, she padded out of the cold room, her arms wrapping around herself for some sort of comfort though it brought nothing. She didn't know where she was going, she was just following the voices, and as she turned the corner, she flinched.

"She's dangerous, Steve! I watched her almost kill you last night!" Tony yelled, getting angry that his friend wasn't seeing the issue at hand.

"She was having a nightmare! I know you have had similar things happen to you," Steve argued back, his eyes darkening more and more as he was listening to him. He had just woken up and came to the kitchen to get some coffee when he was just cornered by Tony, and was thrown into this argument.

"Yes! So I know how dangerous this could be!" Tony hissed, getting into his personal space and poking his chest. "What would have happened if she did that to someone else? Hmm?"

Steve grabbed his hand as his jaw clenched, his emotions starting to take control of his movements. He shoved Tony's hand away and pushed him back lightly, watching as he stumbled back.

"Stop projecting your idiotic fears onto someone else-"

"Idiotic? IDIOTIC?" Tony laughed out and shook his head before throwing his hands up. "Have you seen your throat this morning? A second longer and she would have _killed_ you! Do you not care about anything?"

"I had it under control!" Steve's screamed, his veins starting to show on his forehead as he tried to contain his rage.

"Hardly! You know what? She leaves. Today," Tony said, giving up on trying to make Steve understand. He didn't like talking to the other Avenger when he was this angry, because it made the man unable to see other views and it was pointless. "I don't care if you go with her. You obviously don't care much for anyone else besides yourself."

"Listen here you fuc-"

"Stop it," Lillian said, her voice softer than what she intended, so the men kept with their yelling match. "Stop it!"

Steve winced at her yell, and he instantly cut off his sentence to turn and look at her. He knew that she had been crying all night, and it was evident on her flushed face and puffy eyes. Tony stood up straight and looked at her with caution, though he did feel guilty that she had heard what he said.

"Steve," she said, looking between the two of them. They looked like they were seconds away from attacking each other, and she was the reason behind that. "He's right."

Both of them raised their eyebrows in surprise, but before Steve could argue, Lillian kept going.

"I almost killed you last night. I'm dangerous," she flickered her eyes over the scientist and sighed heavily. "I should go-"

"No, Lily," Steve said, walking towards her and grabbing her hands. "I'm not letting you just walk out of my life. I cant lost you, not again. If you go, I'm going with you."

"Stevie, I can't ask you to do that."

"I can help you remember," he murmured softly, his anger dissipating almost immediately. "Please, Lily flower..."

Tony frowned as he watched the two of them, and he knew what he was about to offer was not the best idea, but he didn't want Steve to tear himself up and become a shell like he himself was.

"If you're so gun-ho about staying with her, then it might help," he said, making Lillian look up at him in confusion. "I'm not the biggest fan of leaving you unsupervised, so if Mr. Self-Righteous here volunteers as tribute, more power to him." He gave a small smile to Lillian and sighed heavily.

"So you're letting me go?" Steve asked, turning to look at Tony with a look of confusion.

"Its disgusting, how cute she looks," Tony said, waving his hand at Lillian with a huff. "You try saying no to that face."

"I usually don't," he mumbled, turning to smile softly at Lillian, who was laughing softly at Tony and his tactics.

"I'll go look into motels for you two to run off and hide at," Tony said, turning to walk to his lab to research. He was still irritated at the whole situation, but after seeing how broken Lillian was, he was willing to help.

Steve sighed heavily and stroked Lillian's cheek with his thumb. He wasn't done with the conversation with Tony, but he was pushing that to the side to comfort his love.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his whole demeanor changing as he focused on her.

Lillian nodded, her eyes flickering over the dark bruises that covered his whole throat, and she tore her gaze down to stare at their feet. She felt overwhelmed and awful about the whole situation, and she didn't quite understand the level of love that Steve felt towards her. It made her feel uncomfortable almost, because she didn't know if she felt that way towards him.

"I'm fine," she murmured, looking back up at him with a heavy exhale, "but I'm more worried about you. You shouldn't be around me, I don't want to hurt you."

"Lily flower," Steve whispered, grabbing her face gently and making her look at him. "You won't hurt me, I trust you. I want to help you, okay? Let me help."

She stared into his eyes, and she found herself nodding before she knew what she was doing. She trusted him too, and she wanted help. She wanted nothing more than to find herself again.

A few hours later, Tony walked into the living room, where Steve was trying to show Lillian some newer movies, but was ultimately failing since he hardly knew what he was trying to teach.

"Here," Tony Stark said, handing Steve the written directions to a motel that was just out of the city, and the key to the room. "Its's all paid for, you're good to go."

Steve grabbed the paper and key from his hand, his lips tugging up into a small smile. He had packed a bag for the two of them, and his anxiety was tugging at his stomach.

"Thanks Tony," he said, genuinely meaning it as the both of them stood to their feet. They have been ready to go for a while now, since they didn't know when Tony would be kicking them out.

"Just... Don't make too big of a mess, okay? I'm still picking up after you from breaking her out," Tony said lightly before turning his weary gaze on Lillian. He wanted to trust her, but it was hard for him to put what little trust he had into anything.

"Thank you, Tony. For everything," she whispered, her arms still wrapped around herself as a barrier.

"Not a problem, Tiger," he replied, smiling lightly at her. While he didn't trust her much, he did trust Steve, and he wanted to help his friends. They were all he had. "Now go, before someone breaks down my door to take you two."

Steve sighed but he nodded, his hand resting on Lillian's lower back to lead her out of the tower. With one final glance back, the two of them left.

...

"This isn't so bad," Steve said as they entered the run down motel. They had driven for about an hour, and Lillian was quiet for most of the ride. It was something he wasn't used to, since her old self was so bubbly and talkative.

Lillian looked around and sighed heavily before she walked to the bed, dropping down. She felt bad that she was basically ripping him from his life so he could help her remember who she was.

"It's a bit dirty," she mused, trying to brighten up the mood that she felt like she dampened from the ride here.

Steve hummed softly in amusement and let the bag drop by the bed before sitting down beside her, their arms brushing a tad. He could tell that she was struggling to open up around him, and he understood, but he wished that she could just know how much he actually, truly, cared.

"Well, Tony did pick it out," he joked, turning to fully look at her. He could see deep cracks of sadness starting to show in her usual dark eyes, and he wanted nothing for her to talk to him about everything.

"He seems nice," she muttered, keeping her eyes down and focused on their feet. She was afraid to meet his gaze, because she felt exposed.

"Sometimes," he whispered, inching his hand closer so he could hold hers. Once their fingers brushed, he grabbed them gently, and hummed softly again.

Lillian forced herself to lookup, and she gazed into his piercing gaze. He did have beautiful eyes, almost like watching a waterfall, and she wanted to hate it so much. It was like something in the back of her head wanted her to rip apart the brightness that was evident in his gaze, and destroy him, but most of herself wanted to find comfort in his essence. She wanted to hate it, but she couldn't.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked, changing the subject to something she so desperately wanted to know and understand.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows and studied her face, a little surprised by her sudden confidence and question.

"Because," he said softly, his shoulder shrugging, "I love you, and I care for you deeply. I know you don't really feel the same way right now, but Lily, I would do anything for you."

She shook her head, a humorless laugh escaping her.

"Love me?" she repeated, hot tears pricking her eyes, "You love the old me, the me I don't remember and know. You can't love who I am now. I'm a murderer."

"No," he whispered, grabbing her hands. "That wasn't you-"

"Yes it was, Steve," she said, cutting him off, "Everything I did was me. Everyone I killed, it was me. It's because of me, everything is because of me."

Steve wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closely, wanting his touch and embrace to just squeeze all the bad things out of her, and help her remember who she really was.

"It wasn't you, sweetheart," he murmured, kissing her forehead gently, "this was not your fault. Nothing is your fault."

"I became The Winter because I was careless enough to get captured by them, Stevie," she whispered, her voice muffled because her face was buried in his chest. This caused him to frown, confused about what she was referring to.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly, pulling away just enough to peer over her face.

"I remember, that night," she said, refusing to meet his questioning gaze, "the night I got taken. I remember _everything_. The pain is something I haven't been able to forget."

Steve grabbed her chin and forced her to look up, his body tense as he finally knew what she was talking about. The night she got taken away from him, the one night that haunted his dreams almost every night.

"You mean...?"

Lillian nodded, her tear threatening to spill over. She didn't like to remember that night, but she thought that maybe speaking about it out loud would help her remember more about her past.

"Can you tell me?" he asked, keeping his voice soft and gentle so he wouldn't make her feel afraid to share what happened.

"You weren't there, I don't remember where you were but, it was just me" she started, her eyes losing focus as she was brought back to the past, "and I was alone, with _him..._

 _Flashback_

"I need to go down to the store for some milk, did you want anything?" Lillian asked the man that they were currently living with, Charles Downs, who used to be a friend with her brother in the 107th.

"No, doll. I'm good," he said, giving her one of his signature smiles that sent shivers down her spine. "But stay safe, okay? The streets ain't safe for a pretty dame like you."

Lillian gave him a smile back before she left the small apartment, unable to be around him anymore. He was nice enough, but he was giving her a bad feeling. She didn't say anything, because Steve seemed to trust him enough to leave her alone for a night while he discussed his next plans for Captain America and saving the country.

As soon as she was outside, she inhaled a deep breath, her body instantly relaxing from the fresh air. She felt like she was cooped up in the apartment, because neither of the men allowed her to spend much time alone in the streets. She still had the large smile stretched across her face as she entered the small corner store minutes later, greeting the young man that was working the counter. Since she didn't get much time to herself, alone, she took her time grabbing the milk and talking to some of the friendly customers. A few minutes later, she exited the store with her one bag. She wanted to spend more time to herself, but she knew if she was gone for long, someone would be searching for her, and she didn't like making others worried over her well being.

She didn't pay attention as the young man she greeted earlier watch her carefully, and inform some of the men that were also in the store about her. She didn't notice two, muscled men wearing darker clothes, follow her for a block silently. She did realize that the sun was dropping behind the buildings, and it was getting dark. She hadn't planned to be out this late, since she knew that Steve must have gotten back by now, and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before he was forced away from her.

She turned the corner, the shadows drawing long behind her as the street lights flickered on. She saw a car leave the apartment building, and her eyes settled on the familiar muscular back of her love. Steve had just gotten home, and she felt her excitement buzz across her body. Her mouth opened so she could get his attention before he had gotten inside, but just as she inhaled a large breath, she felt a clammy hand cover her mouth and pull her back.

Two pairs of hands grabbed her body and forced her backwards and into a dark alley way that she had passed seconds ago. She was struggling as best as she could in this awkward position she was in, but it was to no use, they were both stronger than her.

Her body was pushed against the hard brick, and she felt her head hit the surface and her breath leave her lungs. In the dark, and among her dizziness, she couldn't make out her attackers, so she did what instinct told her to do. She gripped her bag tightly and swung at the nearest one, hitting him in the head as hard as she could, which caused him to stumble backwards.

The milk exploded, and the bag left her hand, leaving her defenseless against the two. Taking this moment of surprise, she tried her best to run from them, but she felt the strong hands grab her again, and she was pushed to the ground.

A scream escaped her as she hit the ground, and she knew that her head must have been bleeding by how hard she hit it on the concrete. Forcing herself to roll onto her back, she looked up weakly, her hands coming up in defense.

"Please, I'll give you anything, let me go," she muttered weakly, thinking that this was some sort of mugging.

"You are what we want," one of them hissed, grabbing her by the throat to lift her up to her feet.

Lillian felt her body shake out of fear, and she started to cry silently. Did these people want her because she was with Captain America? Was this a tactic to get to him through her?

"He won't come after me, if it's the Captain you want," she gasped, her nails digging into the skin of the man that was holding her, but he didn't even flinch.

"That's what we're hoping," he said with a sly grin, glancing behind her as his comrade put a cloth soaked in chloroform over her mouth and nose to pull her under consciousness. "Hail HYDRA."

Lillian struggled and screamed under the cloth, but she knew she wasn't getting out of this. The last thing she saw was the glint of green in the eyes of the man that towered over her as she fell to the ground.

When she opened her eyes again, she was tied to a chair in an empty room with onto a large screen in front of her. A soft groan escaped her as she rolled her head around, trying to look at her surroundings, but her vision was still hazy. When she couldn't find anything that would help her figure out where she was, she focused on the screen, where a movie was playing.

Though, it wasn't a movie. The more her eyes focused on what was being shown, the more she realized who was on the screen. She knew that dark hair, and she knew that voice.

"Jaime...?" she muttered, her voice raspy. She leaned forward and her eyes squinted at she watched the man on the screen struggle and talk fast, almost like he was begging. "Bucky... Bucky!"

"He can't hear you," an accented voice said, bringing her attention to the a shorter man that had entered the room. He had on a lab coat and heavy rimmed glasses, but she didn't want to know who he was. She only wanted her brother.

"What are you doing to him?" she hissed, her brain overloading with all this new information. She had lived this month thinking that her brother was dead since he fell off a train and plummeted to the snowy ground. "How is he still alive?"

"Well you see, Miss Barnes, your brother is extraordinary. One of my favorites actually," he said, walking over to her. He didn't give her any information, because he only had one goal in mind. "But, he's not very cooperative with us. We're trying to help him, fix him up since he fell, but hes not allowing us."

She clenched her jaw and leaned back in the chair as he got closer, and her eyes flickered over to the screen. Bucky looked like he was in pain, and there was blood everywhere. She could tell that there were people in lab coats trying to do something, but he wasn't letting them do much.

"We need your help, Lillian," the scientist continued, "we want you to convince him to let us help."

"What are you doing to him?" she asked, trying to move her arms but they were tied down. She could tell that they didn't have his safety in mind as they just stabbed him with needles.

"Trying to make him stronger, heal faster. He took quite a tumble," he said, his voice still calm as he tried to get her help. "I promise, as soon as he gets all healed up, he can leave this facility. You both can."

"You kidnapped me, just because you need to me help you with Jaime?" she asked, not believing what he was saying. "I know what HYDRA stands for, I am not helping you."

"If you insist, enjoy watching," he said, almost like he was sad she had made her decision, and left the room.

She was left alone with facing the screen, watching her brother get tortured with medical supplies and different serums. He was screaming in pain, and it was in this moment she saw that he was missing his arm. Tears instantly formed in her eyes and she struggled against her restraints. Watching her brother cry and beg to end his life was something she never thought she would have to witness, and it was something she didn't want to see anymore.

It was hours, torturous hours later, of watching her brother slip in and out of consciousness, fight back, sob and yell. Her eyes were blank as she watched, her senses dull to anything that was happening. She had spent more time crying than not, and she wanted to help her brother. She didn't care what repercussions would happen, she wanted him to just not be in pain.

"Miss Barnes," the voice made her look over to the side, and her hardened gaze landed on the foreign scientist.

"I'll help," she said before he could say anything else, "Please, I'll do anything to help Jaime. Stop hurting him, I'm begging you."

He smiled widely and nodded, pulling out a syringe that he had been carrying around.

"Glad to hear that Miss Barnes," he said, grabbing her arm to find a big enough vein, "This will only hurt for a moment, then we can both help your brother."

Her jaw clenched as he injected her with something blue, and it felt like he was putting burning peanut butter into her body. A small whine escaped her, but she didn't have much time to register how much pain she truly was in before the darkness dragged her under once more.

 _End of Flashback_

"They tortured the both of us to make us do what they wanted," Lillian said, noticing that both her and Steve were laying in bed, her head resting on his chest. She didn't notice they had moved, but by judging at the wet spots on his chest, she figured she must have broken down at some point. "They used us against each other. I was in so much pain, I lost years of my life to the rage and agony and suffering. I don't want to remember that part of my life, but it seems like that's the only thing they left me with."

Steve had his jaw clenched the whole time as he listened to her, and his body was tense. To say that he was angry was an understatement. He wanted to punch someone, no, he wanted to _kill_ someone, for hurting her. He knew that she wasn't sharing everything, because her eyes showed how scared she truly was, but he knew enough. He remembered that night too, but it was much different.

"If I would have know, Lily, I would have saved you," he said, his voice scratchy as he was trying to hold in angry tears. "I heard you yell, I _heard_ it, but Charles... He distracted me. When I figured out something had happened, and he was in charge of it, I went looking for you, I swear I did. This is my fault. If I would have stayed that night, if I would have taken you with me, if I came back a few minutes earlier, you wouldn't have been taken."

"Stevie," she said, softly, forcing herself to sit up. She knew that she must look awful at this point from all the crying, but she didn't care. "This isn't your fault, you were trying to save the country. Besides, I hated it, yes. I was tortured, and put through so much pain, but I did it for Bucky. He went through the same, if not worse, than me. I hated it, but I was glad he wasn't alone."

Steve frowned and sat up after her, his hand moving up to wipe her tears away.

"I'm going to make it up to you, I swear," he promised, his jaw tense. "To the both of you. I'm going to help you get your lives back, and take down HYDRA. I'm going to make them pay for everything they did to you two."

Lillian looked into his eyes, getting lost in how much he held determination in them, and she nodded gently.

"Not without me."

* * *

 **unedited**

 _Thanks for reading! Favorite and comment for this longer than normal chapter!_


	21. 20

_Flashback_

"No, no. Please don't." Lillian sobbed, struggling on the table that she was currently strapped to, causing her wounds to reopen and bleed. Her body was covered in dark bruises and cuts littered all over, but she could hardly feel the pain.

They've been experimenting on her for days now, her body filled with different serums, and she hasn't seen Bucky since that live video. Instead, she was shoved into a small room, being poked and prodded like a lab rat.

"The more you struggle, darling, the more it will hurt," the accented scientist said as a large hand held her down by the forehead.

Another needle entered into her veins, and fire erupted throughout her body, which caused her to scream out in agony. Her body started to convulse, and the familiar metallic taste filled her mouth. She couldn't respond to the man, which made him smile in amusement.

"See how much better that feels?" he asked as he grabbed another syringe. Usually, his patients either took to his serum quickly or they perished, but she was still fighting everything he was putting into her system, almost like her brother. "I am surprised at your endurance. You're a hard one to break."

She narrowed her eyes but still didn't respond since her jaw was clenched shut from the burning pain. The last of the spasms passed through her body just as he moved her head to the side to get better access to her neck.

"But they all break eventually," he continued on, as if they were having a legitimate conversation. "Just like your brother, I think we finally got him to come around. Especially after we showed him that we have you. He was really eager to do what we want when we threatened to hurt you."

"Fuck you," she hissed out, dark blood spilling over her lips. She kept her mouth shut when the next serum entered her blood stream, but her body flinched.

"Such harsh words from a pretty face," he said with a smile, slowly pulling out the needle from her skin. "The more you resist, the longer we keep you from your brother, little one."

Lillian exhaled a long breath through her nose once the hand let her head go, and she watched the scientist carefully. She could already feel the serum flowing through every inch within her body, doing whatever it did to her DNA. She's seen what these crazy HYDRA scientists have done to others, how they changed and brainwashed them. It took every last ounce of her will to not succumb like the others, but every day it was harder. She was growing tired from fighting, but she wouldn't give up until she saw her brother.

"You can't control me," she growled, trying to move forward to hit him, but the straps held her back. She couldn't help but feel amused when he jumped back, but the strong hands came back to push her down onto the steel table, and they tightened her down so she could hardly breath much less move.

"We'll see about that," he said, nodding at the guards that held her down before walking towards the exit. "No food, no water for two days. It's a new project, I don't want any outside variables to mess it up," he whispered to the one that was in charge before he exited.

The two days passed with a blur, and Lillian felt like she was dying. She was still strapped down on the same steel table, in the same dirty clothes, with the same blood dried and caked onto her skin. She wasn't allowed to get up, to eat, to drink, to do anything. Her veins still felt like they were on fire, and it was something that she was confused about. Usually whatever they injected her with, it wore off after hours at the most, but it felt like it was just injected seconds ago. Her heart was still racing, and every time she shifted on the table, her body screamed for her to break free.

She knew that her body has changed, but she didn't know to what extent. At least, not yet.

"Good morning, little one," the scientist said as he entered the lab, and her body tensed up. She kept her face forward, her eyes concentrating on the ceiling that was above her. "How are we feeling today?"

"Like I want to rip out your throat," she responded, her voice hoarse from the lack of water the past two days.

"So not much has changed," he hummed, and he leaned over to peer over her face. "You look quite pale, but that is to be expected from the starvation. Do you feel any different?" He paused a moment to see if she would respond, but he was greeted with silence. "Darling, I can't help you if you don't help me."

"I don't want to help you, I just want my brother," she snapped, her body lurching forward suddenly out of anger. The restraints around her arms started to to break, and multiple guards came froward to push her back down.

The scientist stepped back to watch with interest as she struggled, and the guards injected her with something to calm her down.

"That's new," he murmured, a smile slowly forming on his face. This is what he has been waiting for this past week, a serum that worked with her body. He moved closer once more and looked over her body. Her veins did look more prominent, and she obviously gained some sort of strength. He wanted to see how far he could push her, he wanted to see what exactly this new serum does.

"What did you do to me?" she asked, her anxiety starting to grow more as time passed. She didn't know that she had grown that strong, and it terrified her.

"I am making you better, little one," he said gleefully, "Much like your Captain America." He noticed her tense up at the mention of her lover, and his smirk grew. "Too bad he is no longer with us."

"What did you say?" she whispered, snapping her gaze over to him. Her whole body froze, and she started to breathe heavily.

"Your self-righteous soldier flew a plane straight into the ice," the scientist said, "for his country. I'm sure he'll be missed."

Lillian stared at him, her eyes starting to water as she tried to determine if he was lying or not. While he was mad and evil, he has not lied to her yet, and something in his eyes made her believe him. It was getting harder to breathe and her vision was getting blurry as her anger started to take control. Her Stevie was gone, and her emotions were going haywire.

A few silent seconds passed before her body shot forward, the straps snapping effortlessly, and she lunged her body at the scientist, tackling him to the ground. Rage overtook the once sweet woman, and she wasn't in control of her actions as she began throwing punches at his face.

The guards acted quickly and pulled her off, but that only made her attack them instead. She had no training, but she with her new found strength, she took down one of the guards with a swift punch in the face. Another man grabbed her by the arms, but her body acted on instinct, and she twisted her body around before flipping him over her shoulder, knocking him unconscious. She whipped her head around and glared at the others, who were standing there in complete shock.

"Exquisite," the scientist murmured, watching her with a gleam in his eyes. At the sound of his voice, she snapped her gaze to him and clenched her jaw. "Restrain her, she's ready to see her brother."

The mention of meeting her brother sent confusion through her body, and she didn't fight back when strong hands grabbed her and put her in heavy cuffs. She was finally allowed to leave this god-forsaken room and see her brother, and she was going to take this opportunity to do so. They led her to another enclosed room, where there another body sitting on the mattress. The guards pushed her in, and she stumbled forward before flinching at the sound of the door slamming shut.

"Jaime?" she asked softly, the door locking behind her.

The man turned to look at her, and she was met with a hollow gaze and a pale face.

"Who the hell is Jaime?"

 _End of Flashback_

Lillian shot up and awoke with a sharp gasp, her body glistening in sheer sweat. She looked around frantically, and for a moment she forgot where she was. Movement next to her caused her gaze to shift over and she was out of bed in an instant, her body taut.

"Lily?" Steve mumbled, a yawn following his question. He squinted his eyes, not used to the darkness that was surrounding them, before he leaned over to turn on the light on the table beside the bed. He noticed how heavy she was breathing, and the wild look in her eyes, and it didn't take him long to realize she just had a nightmare. "Hey, hey, hey. You're okay, sweetheart," he kept his voice light as he slowly moved forward, his hands out to show that he meant no harm.

She watched him carefully as she started to calm down, her mind catching up to what was going on. With a large exhale, she leaned against the wall behind her and slid down to the ground, hugging her legs to her chest. In an instant, Steve was right beside her, his arms wrapping around her shoulder to pull into into his body.

"What was it this time?" he asked softly, pressing his lips softly against her hair. They've been at this motel for three days now, and every night so far has ended up like she. She was slowly remembering things, and it was taking a large toll on her mentally.

"You died," she whispered softly, leaning and relaxing into his touch. "Or I thought you did. I was injected with so many things, Steve, I was so scared. I found out you crashed that plane, and it felt like I wasn't even in control. Bucky didn't remember me. It hurt so much, I felt like I lost my way."

Steve sighed softly and ran his fingers through her hair as gently as he could so she would remain calm. When she got worked up, he found out, it was hard to control her emotions and actions.

"I'm here, I promise," he said, pulling back slowly so he could wipe the lone tears off her cheeks. "Memories are hard, but they can't come back to hurt you, okay? I am so proud of you."

Lillian laughed softly and shook her head, her eyes closing as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm just so tired, Stevie," she yawned, pressing her whole body into his. These past few days, she has grown more comfortable around him, and was becoming more like her affectionate self.

"Then go to sleep, love," he responded softly, glancing over at the time. It was just past one in the morning, and he was quite tired himself.

"I'm scared to go to sleep. What if I have another nightmare?"

"Then I will be right here for you when you wake up."

She smiled softly to herself and let out a soft hum, getting comfortable against his warm body. Steve let her, because he didn't have the heart to move her just yet. He continued to run his fingers through her soft hair, which lulled her to a dreamless sleep. When he knew for sure that she was sleeping, he picked her up as slowly as he could, and laid her back onto the bed.

"I promise to always be here, Lily flower," he murmured to her sleeping self, kissing her forehead then nose. He pulled the blanket over her petite body before climbing back into the bed beside her, his arm draping over her waist, and his eyes closing.

He knew that they both needed their sleep. It's been quiet for too long, and he felt like something big and bad was happening.

He didn't know how long he could keep her safe.

* * *

 **unedited**

 _Please favorite if you liked this chapter!_

 _Also, comment if you would be interested in reading a Bucky Barnes spin off? I think I should make one, but only i people will read it._

 _You're all beautiful_


	22. 21

Steve sat on the bed and watched as Lillian messed with the television, her eyes glued to the remote as she tried to figure it out. He didn't know much either, but watching her try to figure it out was quite amusing.

"I don't understand," she mumbled under her breath, looking up at the TV briefly before looking at the remote. "How does this change the moving pictures?"

"I...honestly don't know," he murmured, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought. He just didn't question it.

Lillian laughed under her breath and started to press some buttons, watching the screen change from different shows. She stopped messing with it when she landed on some animal show, and she tossed the remote to the side.

"I'm getting bored, Stevie," she sighed as she dropped down beside him on the bed and laid back. "I want to go out and do something."

"You know we can't, doll," he said softly as he laid down beside her, brushing against his side. "We have to wait on Natasha or Sam to tell us that it's safe enough to leave."

"But, Bucky..."

"We'll find him. I promise."

Lillian sighed and looked over at him, studying his facial expressions. She knew how much he cared for the both of them, and the more she stayed here with him and away from HYDRA, the more she was starting to remember. She knew how much she once loved it, but she didn't know if she still felt the same way. Steve obviously still feels the same way today as he did back then, and she was trying so hard to just _remember_ how to love him.

"Do you think he's okay?" she asked softly, moving her body closer into his on instinct. He was like her own personal heater with how much body heat he gave off.

"I'm sure he's fine," he whispered, his arm draping over her waist softly to pull her closer. "It's Jaime, I'm sure he's finding a way back to you as we speak."

She smiled softly when Steve used his childhood nickname, and she rested her head against his chest. Before she could respond, her heightened hearing caught a creak right outside their door, and she tensed up.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, noticing how tense she had suddenly gotten, and he assumed it was because of what he said.

"Nothing, I'm just..." he voice trailed off when she heard the same noise, and she leaned up on her elbow to stare at the door.

He raised an eyebrow and watched her for a few seconds before he rolled onto his back to look at the door as well, trying to listen for something unusual.

"Lily?" he asked under his breath. He didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, but by the way her eyes darkened, he figured she did. "It's the middle of the day, it might just be someone walking to their room." He didn't believe himself, but he knew that if she didn't relax, The Winter might come out and hurt someone.

Lillian hummed softly and slowly laid back down on her bed, her body relaxing into his but she kept her senses focused on the door. Her Winter instincts has kicked in, and her mind was going into over drive. She noticed that Steve was talking, but his voice was just background noise as she listened to more creaks and footsteps right outside their door.

Time seemed to slow down as her eyes focused, and she heard a single gun shot. Watching the bullet fly through the air in slow motion, she quickly grabbed Steve and threw him over her body and onto the ground on the other side of the bed. To Steve, it was hardly a second, and he blinked in surprise when his back landed on the floor. He looked up and met Lillian's cold gaze as she pressed her body against his, her hand quickly moved over his mouth to keep him shut.

Silence filled the air, and the tension grew after each passing second. Steve was watching her intently, because he still couldn't hear anything, but he definitely heard the bullet pierce the air and hit the pillow where his head once was.

Their heavy breathing was the only thing that Lillian could hear, and after a stressful minute of nothing, she slowly removed her hand from his mouth. She slowly crawled off of him and peeked her head over the bed, her eyes glaring at the bullet hole in the door. She moved back down to hover over Steve, and she clenched her jaw.

"Shield," she whispered softly, her breath fanning over his face. He sent her a quick nod and he shifted out from underneath her to crawl to the bathroom where he had carelessly shoved his Captain America stuff.

Lillian moved up to a crouch and made her way closer to the door, listening to see if the shooter was still out there. Once Steve grabbed his shield, he turned the corner, which distracted The Winter mindset and she turned to look at him. That moment, the door to their room burst open, and agents dressed in dark clothing entered in with their guns blazing.

Steve immediately covered himself with his shield as he made his way to Lillian to grab her. She didn't have a way to defend herself from the flying bullets, but he didn't know to what extent all those serums had effected her.

Lillian twisted her body and grabbed the nearest agent, using his body as her own shield as well as grabbing his weapon for herself. In high stress situations like this, time seemed to slow down and it made it easier for her to defend and attack. The bullets flew by her face and she easily turned her body to avoid getting hit. The gun she took lifted up automatically and she aimed at one of the agents, shooting him down.

The shield flew by her body, taking out someone who had gotten too close to her, and Steve took this moment to punch the agent in the face, knocking him out. He wrapped his arm around Lillian's waist and pulled her behind him just as he grabbed the shield again to cover their bodies.

"We need to leave, not fight," he hissed in her ear as the sound of bullets hitting metal echoed off the walls.

Lillian let out an inhuman growl and pushed him to the side, which caused him to curse under his breath. The Winter now fully taking over her actions, and she raised her gun once more to shoot the intruders. She pushed Steve to the back of his mind as she threw her body at the furthest agent, snapping his neck in two swift moves. Grabbing his gun, she used the end of it to hit one of them in the face before shooting him three times in the chest.

She was too caught up in the fight that she didn't realize she had killed the last agent, and when she whipped around to continue shooting, the barrel of the gun aimed directly at Steve's face. She didn't hesitate before she pulled the trigger and shot the gun.

* * *

unedited

 _short chapter, but enjoy!_

 _please favorite and comment so I know that you are enjoying this story :)_


	23. 22

Steve squeezed his eyes shut.

His body tensed up.

He expected to be shot in the head, but instead he was met with the soft clicking of an empty gun.

He snapped his eyes open immediately and made eye contact with Lillian, his blood rushing in his ears. A second of hesitation passed between them before her eyes hardened, and she lunged at him to physically attack.

At that exact moment, another body entered the room, and tackled Lillian to the ground just as her fingertips brushed against Steve's chest. He quickly jumped back and watched as the figure wrestled her on the ground for a moment before he quickly moved forward., but he was too late before the figure slammed Lillian's head against the ground.

"Nat?" he asked, just as the red head snapped her head up at him. He furrowed his eyebrows and kneeled down beside Lillian, checking over her body. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass, apparently," Natasha said, turning her attention back to the brunette that was still on the ground.

Her eyes slowly softened, and she blinked slowly, her rage dissipating from her body as The Winter was forced to the back of her mind. She looked between the two, a frown forming on her face as her confusion grew.

"Stevie?" she mumbled, slowly sitting up as his hands moved to her body to help her up, "What... Did I hurt you?"

"No, no," he said softly, his hand sliding up to stroke her cheek. He silently checked her over before he turned his attention back to Natasha. "What are you actually here for?"

"We got a few tips," she said, keeping a watchful eye on Lillian because she didn't fully trust her. "About Bucky, and about STRIKE. We need the both of you."

Steve sighed heavily and sat back on the floor, slowly nodding. His mind was still reeling over what had just happened a few moments earlier, and the fact that he almost got shot in the head. He felt like he was out of breath, which was something he hasn't felt in a long time. Natasha looked around at all the fallen agents and tilted her head to the side, her eyebrow raised.

"Did you kids have fun without me?"

...

Steve wrapped his arm around Lillian as they both ducked their heads down, the ball caps they were wearing casting a soft shadow over their faces. They were following Natasha to a safe location where Sam was currently waiting for them with information about where Bucky could possibly be, and about the algorithm.

They were losing valuable time, and he knew that he shouldn't have spent so much time with Lillian when so many lives were at stake, but he was so caught up in the moment, he completely forgot about everything.

"Pierce is moving plans along faster than normal," Natasha's voice filled his right ear from the comm he had. "We need to move faster than him. He plans of using one of the twins to help carry this out, so we have to have a tight leash on Lillian."

"I won't let him take her," he responded softly, pulling her closer into his side as he sent a quick glance around his surroundings. "And he doesn't know where Bucky is."

"Not yet at least," the red head responded as she quickly ducked into a warehouse. "But they may be close."

Steve gently led Lillian into the warehouse after Natasha, and he quickly took his cap off. He smiled softly at Sam as he was handed some files and information about the algorithm.

"This is pretty bad, Cap," Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Steve thumb through the papers. "There's only one way to safely stop this, and she," he pointed at Lillian, "can't be anywhere near. They plan on bringing her in."

Steve exhaled a long breath through his nose and glanced over at Lillian with a frown, ideas running through his mind.

"So she stays here, while I go in," he said, looking over at the other two with his eyebrow raised.

"No," Sam said, shaking his head just as Natasha snorted humorlessly.

"You really think we're gonna let you do this by yourself?" Natasha asked, giving him a look. "No, we're going with you and locking her up somewhere."

Lillian frowned as she stood there silently listening to them banter about their plan to stop HYDRA and STRIKE. She knew how much of a bad idea it was to let her near the same people who had control over her for years, but she couldn't let them go in alone. She knew the enemy better than anyone, because she used to be one of them.

"Guys," she whispered, her voice cracking. She wasn't loud enough for them to hear her, so she cleared her voice before speaking again. "Guys!" Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at her, "I have a plan, but I don't think any of you are going to like it."

* * *

unedited

 _Please favorite and comment! I know this was short but I've had a busy week so please don't hate me!_


	24. 23

It only took a few minutes to convince Natasha and Sam about her plan, but it took Lillian hours to try and get Steve on her side. Even when he eventually agreed to it, she didn't think he was actually okay with what they were going to do. However, nobody had any other plan to offer that would stop STRIKE and HYDRA.

For Lillian, this was personal. Not only did she want to put an end to the evil that had plagued her life, she wanted to protect everyone else from the horrors that she had to endure. She didn't want any more families to be broken, any more love to be lost. She wanted to help, for once, and get revenge on the same ones that ruined her.

"Stevie," she whispered softly as he turned around, his back facing her. "I know you don't like this idea-"

"That's an understatement," Steve hissed, his shoulders tense as he tried to keep himself calm. He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath through his nose before shaking his head to himself and turning around to face her. "I can't lose you again, Lily. You know this. I just... I just got you back, and you want to go back to the ones that took you away from me."

Lillian frowned and reached up, tracing his cheek softly with the pad of her thumb. Looking into his broken gaze made her heart ache, but she knew that she couldn't give in.

"I have to do this," she murmured, tracing his jaw line with a shaky hand. "My life is no more important than those in risk."

"It's more important to me," Steve admitted under his breath, his gaze flickering over her face. "You have no idea how many nights I have laid awake, just _wishing_ to hold you again. You have no idea how much I just wanted to hear your voice, your laugh, you breathing. _Anything_. I was a dead man without you, Lily. If something was to happen to you this time, and I lose you... I can't live without you again. I can't, and I won't."

"Hey, hey," she murmured, grabbing his face with both of her hands to pulling him close, pressing her lips against his in a brief kiss. "You won't lose me. I promise."

Steve fluttered his eyes closed when their lips met, and almost immediately, his body relaxed. It still amazed him how easily she could get him to calm down. His tongue flickered over his bottom lip, and he opened his eyes again, meeting her gaze.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Besides, what is it that you used to say to me and Buck?" Lillian asked softly with a grin. "I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

A large smile stretched across Steve's face and he leaned forward once more, kissing her again but with more emotion. His hands rested on her waist, and he pulled her closer into his body. She still tasted the same, and it brought him memories of comfort, but he had to forced himself to pull away when he heard someone clear their throat from behind them.

"Not that I'm glad that you two have made up, but we have some work to do," Natasha said, her eyebrow raised at the both of them as they pulled away, their faces flushed.

"Right," Steve said, nodding to Natasha and Sam, who was wearing a knowing smirk, "we better suit up."

...

"I can't believe Natasha got some of my weapons from HYDRA," Lillian murmured as she slipped on a pair of cuffs that held ammo for one of her favorite weapons.

"She has her way to get things done," Sam said in amusement as he kept a close eye on her. He knew that she was on their side, but she was still considered dangerous.

Lillian hummed and zipped up the dark jacket that she had put on, her mind drifting off. As they were all gearing up to get ready, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to her brother. It felt odd, to be without him, and she hoped that he was safe and alive. She knew that he wouldn't approve of what they were doing, but she also knew that he would want to take a part in taking down the same people that destroyed the both of them.

"What are you thinking about, short stack?" Sam asked, his head tilted as he studied her.

"Oh," she whispered, glancing back over to him with a small smile, "my brother. It's been a month since I last seen him."

"Do you think he's still out there?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, her shoulder shrugging. "I think he is. I hope he is. I told him to run as far as he could, hopefully he listened."

Sam could tell by her voice that this was a subject that she didn't really enjoy talking about, but he didn't want to just drop the subject.

"I'm sure he's fine," he said, bumping his arm against hers as an act of comfort, "If he's anything like you, he's probably kicking ass somewhere. Trying to find a way back to you."

"You're probably right," she said with a small laugh. "He's stubborn, more than I am."

"Well, that's a terrifying thought."

"Oh, shut up," she giggled, pushing him back, which caused the taller man to laugh along with her.

Steve made his way over to them, a small grin stretching across his face as he watched the two of them interact. When he got close enough, he wrapped an arm around Lillian's waist and kissed her forehead.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked, his smile widening when he felt Lillian place her hand on his side.

"Just that it's possible that someone could be more stubborn than her," Sam said in amusement.

Before Steve could reply to him, Natasha appeared from behind the corner, Steve's cell phone in her hand. She had a look of confusion flickering across her face as she held the phone out to Lillian.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Tatum Lupei?" she asked, handing the phone over to her.

"No...?" Lillian said, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Well, she knows you. And apparently she knows Bucky too."

"How did she get my number?" Steve asked as Lillian immediately placed the phone against her. ear. Natasha shrugged her shoulders and shook her head just as Lillian started to talk.

"Who is this?" she said, her voice tense and emotionless.

"Its, uh... This is Tatum Lupei. I've known Bucky for about a month now, and uh...well, long story short, he said if anything was to happen to him, I was supposed to call this number and ask for you or Steve Rogers."

"What happened to my brother?" Lillian could feel her blood freeze and her heart stop when the next words came from the phone.

"HYDRA happened."

* * *

unedited

 _Sorry for this overdue update! I just started my senior year in college, so these updates may be odd._

 _Please favorite and comment! :)_


	25. 24

"Are you absolutely insane?" Steve yelled, his face red with anger as he watched Lillian grab another weapon from the ground. He was furious with what she wanted to do, and she wasn't listening to any voice of reason.

"Yes!" she yelled back, turning quickly behind her to glare, "They have my brother, Steve! I can't just wait around and not do anything!"

"You said you wouldn't go alone!" he hissed back, trying to not raise his voice too much and keep himself in control, but it was getting harder the more they argued.

"Plans can change. We needs to hurry things along now," she said, her jaw clenched. She was trying to make him understand why she had the urgency to move their plan along, but he just wouldn't see the reason.

"This is all the more reason why we should take a step back and rethink what we should do!"

"Then _you_ can take a step back and rethink, I'm going in," she spat, turning her back to him and walking towards the door. "With or without you."

Steve kept quiet as he watched her walk through the door, and he looked back at Natasha and Sam who were staring at them with wide eyes. They've rarely ever see him this angry, and they wouldn't think that he would direct this anger towards Lillian.

"I'll go get her," Natasha whispered, walking briskly after the other female while Sam exhaled a long breath.

"Maybe we should let her follow through with her plan," Sam suggested in a calm tone, taking a step closer to him.

"She's going to get herself killed," Steve whispered softly, all of his previous anger leaving his body as he sagged his shoulders forward. "Or get others killed. She isn't mentally strong enough to go against them, Sam."

"People can surprise you in the weirdest of ways, Cap," Sam replied, patting his back gently. "It's for her brother, I don't think they'll get her again."

Steve shook his head, mostly to himself, and walked away from his friend to think to himself. He wanted to believe that she could handle herself, but he was worried and anxious. He didn't know if he could get her back to herself if she goes under again.

"I'm scared," he admitted softly.

"I know you are, and it's okay to be," Sam whispered, a frown forming on his face. They stood there in a moment of silence before Steve gave a short nod.

"Okay," he said, facing his friend with a grimace, "I trust her."

"Good," Sam said with a smile, "because I think her and Nat left already, so the plan is already in motion."

"Fuck," Steve hissed, grabbing his shield from the ground and running towards the door, Sam following quickly behind him.

* * *

 **unedited and short**

 **I know where I want this story to go, but I don't know how to get there. I'm having a small writers block, so I'm sorry and I suck**

 **please enjoy**

 **vote and comment pls :)**


	26. 25

"Do you have everything that you need?" Natasha asked Lillian, who seemed to be lost in her own head again. They had tried to run off and leave the boys behind, but they weren't quick enough. They did, however, manage to convince Steve to go along with their plan.

"Lillian," Natasha said again, her voice louder.

"Hmm?" she hummed, turning to face her.

"Are you sure you are good enough to do this?" The red head assassin was worried for their well-being, especially if Lillian wasn't focused.

"Yes," she responded curtly, her jaw set and tight. "I have to be, for Jamie. And Stevie."

"Once we figure out where they took your brother, we need to be ready to fight," Natasha continued, "and we are probably going to be fighting your brother, you know that?"

"I am well aware what we may be walking into, Natasha," Lillian snapped, gripping the gun tightly in her hand. "I'm the only one that can take him out if needed."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Steve said as he entered the room, his hand touching the small of Lillian's back in attempt to comfort. He kissed the side of her head and sighed heavily. He wasn't okay letting her onto the field so soon, he still didn't know if The Winter was completely gone from her, if it still had control over her. "We'll get him back."

Lillian turned her body and buried her face into his chest, letting his natural scent engulf her. She didn't lie earlier when she said he smelled like home. It sent shivers down her body, her muscles relaxing. Before she could say anything, Sam rushed into the room, out of breath.

"They found him," he breathed, his eyes wide and eager, "SHIELD headquarters. They're starting the algorithm, and cameras found him nearby."

"So they know that we're coming, if he's there," Natasha said, crossing her arms.

"No, they want us to come. That's why he's there," Lillian responded, pulling herself away from Steve. "I know what his job is, it used to be mine. We need to stop him, and they're counting on us showing up."

"Sam and Nat, you take the agents inside. Destroy anything and everything you can find. SHIELD has been compromised, we can't trust anyone or anything," Steve said as they looked at the building, seemlingly peaceful minus the giant helicarrier above. "Lily and I will go and try to destroy the helicarrier somehow, destroy their mission and information from there."

Everyone nodded and a lull of silence overtook them for a moment, giving them time to reflect the dangers of this mission. Not only would they lose Bucky if they messed up, but millions of lives are at stake. If they mess up, it would be a genocide.

Steve nodded once, and they all took off to their assigned places, ready to fight for their lives.

"Lily, if it gets too dangerous, you need to-"

"I know you're not about to tell me to leave, Steve," Lillian hissed, her body flushing red hot at the thought of leaving him if something was to go awry. Steve stopped walking and pushed her against the wall, trapping her with his body.

"I don't want to lose you," Steve pleaded, "I lost you too many times. I lost Buck too many times. I... please..."

Lillian sighed heavily and looked into his blue eyes, clenching her jaw slightly as she tried to remain cool. The anger she was feeling wasn't towards Steve, it was in herself, and at HYDRA.

"I understand what you are feeling, Stevie. I lost you too, and I lost Jaime. I'm in the same position you are, and I won't run away again."

Steve glanced away and squeezed his eyes shut for some seconds before he opened them again, nodding in agreement.

"Okay," he murmured, dipping his lips down to gently kiss her. If this was going to be the last time they get this moment, then he was going to pour all of his love into this one kiss.

She felt it, and she tried her best to kiss back just as lovingly. Deep down, in the pit of her stomach, she knew that someone wasn't going to make it out of this. She just hoped it wasn't Steve.

When they both pulled back, they stood silently in each other's presence, letting the moment last as long as possible. Eventually, Steve stepped back and glanced around them.

"Let's go then, shall we?"

Lillian gave a curt nod and followed after him as they ran inside the helicarrier. The air seemed more stiff and cold, the silence engulfing them like a blanket. No one was in there, at least, that's what they thought.

High above them, perched in the darkness, was The Solider, gun armed and ready to take out his target and retrieve his sister. To him, Captain America kidnapped her and has been forcing her to partake in the enemies activities, and he had to save her as well as defend the algorithm.

Easy.

He gripped his gun tighter and silently followed after them undetected, his mask hiding his irregular breathing. Something about this mission seemed off, and he couldn't help but feel he's been plucked from another life. He physically shook his head to rid himself of any thoughts, his mind crystal clear and void of everything but his mission.

He couldn't afford to have emotions or second-guesses.

Save his sister.

Kill the Captain.

 _Save_ his sister.

 _Kill_ the Captain.

How could some simple mission like this go terribly wrong?

One moment, all three were fighting. Steve was trying to change the algorithm while Lillian was distracting her brother.

"I don't want to hurt you Winter," The Solider huffed, trying to disarm her without causing an injury.

"And I don't want you to kill millions of people," she sassed back.

"It's my mission, sister. You must stand down."

"No."

The fighting continued, and the moment he had her on the ground, he aimed his gun at the unsuspecting back of Captain America.

It was instinct, to stand up. To grab the gun and force him to aim at her instead.

It was an accident that the bullet pierced Lillian through the chest.

It all happened too fast to stop.

The room fell into an eerie silence once the gun shot off. It was then filled with the Captain screaming, a body hitting the floor with a thud, and a gun slipping from The Solider's hands.

What had he _done?_

* * *

 **unedited.**

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	27. 26

Steve watched as Lillian's body collapsed to the floor, the world around him fading to a haze of nothingness. He didn't think it was real, until he saw the blood stain the floor red around her.

"No..." he breathed, dropping everything in his hands to the floor, the only sound was his feet hitting the floor and the metal clank of the shield bouncing off the ground.

He paid no attention to Bucky as he fell to his knees and picked her up, moving her gently to his lap. He didn't care that he was getting her blood everywhere on his uniform. That didn't matter now. What mattered to him was saving Lillian.

"Lily flower... sweetie?" he whispered softly, moving her hair out of her face, accidentally getting her blood smeared across her cheek.

Lillian fluttered her eyes open, each breath a struggle and painful endeavor. She wasn't thinking when she aimed the gun at herself instead, she just didn't want Steve to get hurt.

"St..." she had no energy to finish saying his name. Black dots were dancing across her vision, and she struggled to stay awake.

"Shh, it's okay, love," he murmured, rocking her back and fourth gently to keep himself calm. His vision was getting blurry from his tears, and his chest was tightening. "Just... just stay awake, okay? W-We can call someone to get you. You'll be okay." Even he didn't believe the words that were coming from him, but what could he say?

Bucky dropped to his knees beside them, the mission to kill the Captain escaping him as he stared at his bloody sister before him.

"I... I didn't... She-" he couldn't form the sentence that he was attempting to say. It happened too fast for him to stop it. He knew that she was reckless, but this was steps too far.

Steve shot his eyes up to him, his eyes hardening as he stared at someone who he thought was his best friend. He could see now, however, that his best friend was no longer there.

"How could you?" he hissed, tears falling freely down his cheeks as he tried to contain his anger. "She's your _sister_! Was this your mission? HUH?" His voice was increasing volume with each sentence.

Bucky snapped his gaze up and clenched his jaw, The Soldier taking control once more.

"This was her choice. She did this to save you. If you didn't take her, distract her from the real mission, she wouldn't have done this!" he yelled back, standing to his feet. How dare the enemy blame him for this horrible accident.

Steve felt a deep growl escape him, and he slowly set Lillian down against her small protests. His concentration shifted now, to take down The Solider.

"This is _your_ fault. It's your gun. Your bullet," he hissed, standing to his feet slowly. He's never felt this rage before, but seeing everything being ripped from him again seemed to break him.

Bucky pulled out another weapon from his holster and aimed it at The Captain's face, his body tense.

"Here, have a bullet yourself," he snapped, firing off a few rounds but unsuccessfully hitting him.

Steve dodged out of the way and ran to his shield, his weapon and defense. If this was boiling down to a fight to the death, he would avenge Lillian, even from her own brother.

As the two boys fought through their anger, Lillian attempted to blink away the darkness that was trying to engulf her. She wasn't going to let them fight, she knew that the both of them would feel guilty if they killed each other, and she didn't want to lose them.

She rolled to her side, her breath hitching in the back of her throat as pain ripped through her chest and body. Her breaths started to quicken as she struggled to stand to her feet, her vision slipping, but she wasn't going to let death stop her.

The sound of bullets ricocheting off of Steve's shield brought her attention once more to the fight, and she clenched her jaw before forcing herself up to her feet. Her body swayed, the floor seeming to slip from underneath her, but she luckily caught herself on the nearby wall.

"Whoa..." she mumbled, pressing her hand against the bloodied wound. Her eyes quickly glanced at the pool at her feet, and she swallowed thickly before watching Steve and Bucky.

Bucky had managed to take Steve on the floor, and was currently punching the daylights out of him. She narrowed her eyes and took a few hesitant steps forward, digging through her mind to find any remaints of The Winter to assist her. She needed that strength, and when she finally found the old HYDRA assassin, she let it engulf her, and her back immediately straightened.

Her mission was no longer to kill the Captain, but to save him. To save the both of them from themselves.

She pushed the pain to the back of her mind and walked forward, her footsteps falling to deaf ears as the men continued their vicious fight. She leaned down, her fingers brushing against her brothers gun that had previously shot her, and she gripped it into her hold before pointing it at the two of them, firing off warning shots.

The fighting ceased, and two pairs of eyes snapped up to meet her cold and unwavering gaze.

"Stop," she commanded, blood staining her teeth as she struggled to not cough up more blood that was threatening to spill over her lips.

Steve sat up and pushed Bucky off of him, rushing to his feet when he saw that Lillian was standing.

"Lily, you shouldn't be-"

He took a few steps forward, only to be thrown to the side by Bucky, who was angry that her sister was trying to stop him.

"Stand down, Winter," he hissed, glaring at her, though he was not angry. No, he was the opposite actually, but he couldn't show any form of weakness in front of his mission.

"Solider, the mission is no longer active," she said, her voice strong and commanding even though her body was shaking from the blood loss, "You are required to stand down."

Bucky stared at her, his gaze unwavering as her words settled among the dense silence. Lillian still had the gun aimed at the two of them, her blood spilling over her bottom lip.

Steve slowly and silently stood to his feet, moving towards her without letting Bucky see him. He noticed how pale she looked, and how badly her body was shaking, and he was afraid she would collapse any moment.

"Lily, sweetie, put the gun down," he said when he was closer, his hand up to show her that he meant no harm.

"Finish what we need to do, Steve," she replied instead, keeping the gun aimed at her own brother. She was light-headed, and she wanted nothing more than to just _sleep_ , but she refused to stand down. Steve knew that, and instead of fighting it like he wanted, he nodded and ran to what he was doing before everything went downhill.

Bucky flickered his eyes over to Steve, his body tensing up, but as he moved forward to stop him, Lillian shot at his feet to stop him. He glared at her and aimed his own gun at her out of instinct. Something in the back of his mind was telling him to stop, to let the two of them fix his wrongs, but The Solider pushed through.

"Я не буду стесняться стрелять в тебя снова, сестра (I will not hesitate to shoot you again, sister)," Bucky hissed, aiming his gun at her head.

"то же самое (same)," she replied, moving her gun aim up to his face as well.

Steve only had one more flash drive left to put in before HYDRA's plan was ruined, but just as he was about to switch them, Bucky had quickly moved his aim to the Captain, and shot him in the shoulder.

Lillian immediately shot her brother in return, emptying her gun and hitting him in his own shoulder as well twice before moving forward to tackle him to the ground.

"Shit," Steve hissed, pushing past the sting that was shooting through his body as he finished the job, causing the various hellicarriers to aim and hit each other instead of killing millions.

He quickly turned around, frantically searching for the twins, only to see the their bodies fall over the edge of the platform and onto the glass below.

"Lily!" he called, rushing over to assess the situation. Just as he peered over the ledge, he saw a nearby hellicarrier fall through the sky...and hit them directly. This caused Steve to lose his footing as their aircraft started to move sideways, and he landed nearby.

Lillian felt hot tears fall down her cheeks as pain ripped through her broken body. That fall broke her concentration, and soon the only thing on her mind was how much pain she was in, and how much she wanted the darkness to take her under. She whimpered softly, but it was loud enough for Bucky to hear.

"Sister," he whispered, crawling over to her, but he never made it as their aircraft took another hit, and the glass around them started to break and fall to the water and ground below.

Steve clenched his jaw and fought through his own pain to stand up, limping over to Lillian and Bucky. He noticed the glass was cracking around her, and he pushed himself to go faster to get to her before she fell.

Another hit shook them, and he fell to his knees, growling in frustration and anger. More glass continued to fall, and soon all three of them were slipping to the side as their hellicarrier started to fall down.

Bucky threw himself to try and grab Lillian's hand before she slipped away, but it was only in vain.

Her body slid down the broken glass and away from him, and closer to the big gaping hole that had formed as they were falling. A loud scream escaped her as another wave of pain tore through her body.

Steve was getting desperate, and he let himself drop down, catching himself before he actually did fall through and grabbed Lillian's hand.

"I got you," he whispered, his muscles screaming in protest. He had forgotten he was shot, and his grip on Lillian was slipping with each passing second.

"Stevie," she murmured before another shudder went through the hellicarrier, causing her to slip more. "Let me go."

"No," he hissed, his jaw clenching and his lips tightening as he tried to pull her up, but with no success.

Lillian glanced over at Bucky, who was struggling to not fall as well, before looking at Steve. His blue eyes, which were now dark with worry and frustration. Her safe place, which was now struggling to keep them both afloat.

"Stevie, love, please," she whispered, grabbing his wrist with her other hand, "I wish we had more time. I love you. Save Jaime."

Steve screamed just as Lillian forced herself out of his grip, and he watched her fragile body fall below, the water engulfing her body.

He didn't have time to mourn as Bucky slipped down, and he quickly grabbed his hand, grunting at the body weight.

"She's gone," Bucky said, staring up at Steve with watery eyes.

"I'm sorry, Buck," Steve cried, shaking his head, "She was slipping, and she pulled my hand off of her-"

"It's okay, Steve," Bucky said, his memories coming back. Watching his sister fall broke something in him, and flashes of memories were coming through. Steve felt his breath hitch as the mention of his name, and he nodded.

"I can't hold for much longer," he hissed, his muscles burning and aching.

"Let go, it's okay."

"I'm not losing you too, Bucky."

Bucky smiled softly and squeezed Steve's hand that was holding him above the hole in the glass. He noticed that another hellicarrier was coming towards them, and he knew that another hit would cause them both to fall.

"You're not losing me, pal. I'm with you-"

"Til the end of the line," Steve finished, seeing the same thing he was seeing.

Just as they took another hit, Steve's grip slipped, and the two men fell to the water below, the hellicarrier following close behind.

* * *

 **unedited**

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	28. 27

"How could you lose a damn body, Stark?" Natasha hissed, hitting his arm as she walked past him.

"Hey, fuck you, I didn't lose anything. It was _taken_!" Tony snapped back, rubbing his arm where she had hit him. As soon as he got off the phone with Sam, he had contacted Agent Hill to explain the situation, who then called Natasha, who had (unsurprisingly) already talked to Sam about the missing body. Now, he had to deal with the hotheaded assassin about this.

"I thought you were supposed to keep on eye on her for Steve," she said as looked over the broken door of the cyro machine. It looked like to was busted open from the inside, but that had to be impossible. Lillian was dead, they had ran so many tests on her to make sure.

"I had to pee!"

Natasha rolled her eyes and threw a glare in his direction before trailing her fingers over the broken metal.

"Maybe Buck came back for his sister?" Tony offered after minutes of silence, growing uncomfortable.

Natasha hummed. "I don't know, have you looked at this? It looks like it was broken from the inside."

"She's dead," he snorted, shaking his head, "impossible."

"I know how it sounds, but look at this Tony. There's no way this was broken into, it looked like she broken _out_."

Tony sighed heavily and walked closer to inspect what she was talking about. He watched where her fingers were pointing, and even though he did not want to, he had to agree with her.

"Well shit. Who's telling Rogers?"

"You."

"This day keeps getting worse and worse."

Bucky walked up to the Captain America exhibit, a dark hat casting a shadow over his face to keep his identity hidden. He was scared, all these memories of someone he knew kept haunting his dreams, and he wanted answers.

He made sure both of his hands were stuffed into his jacket pockets, his metal arm hidden from the public. He was a wanted man, he knew that much, and he didn't blame them. He was dangerous; a killing machine. He shouldn't be out walking around, but he was taking this chance to learn who he truly was.

Being so engrossed in what he was learning, he almost didn't realize someone was watching him from afar. _Almost_.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a shadow slip just out of sight, and his body tensed up automatically. The Solider in him knew that he was being watched, but there were too many people here to actually know. He cleared his throat and started walking further into the exhibit, trying to calm his nerves.

But the shadow followed him, he saw it round the corner a few seconds after he did, and that's when he knew.

Looking for the nearest exit, Bucky started to walk faster, trying to not cause a scene. With this flesh hand, he pushed open the door, inhaling the fresh air, and took off. He turned a corner to the side of the building, where almost no one was. He didn't hear footsteps, but something made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and he quickly acted.

Grabbing whoever was behind him, he slammed the body into the wall, gripping their arms tightly. The stalkers head bounced harshly the brick wall, making him almost wince, but he held a firm gaze.

"Who the hell are you?" he hissed, digging his fingers into their skin. He took this moment to actually look at who he was holding against the wall, and he tensed up.

"Is this any way to greet your sister, Jaime?"

"Lily?"

Bucky released his hold immediately and cupped her face, looking her over. He couldn't believe that she was here, alive. Banged up and bruised, but alive nonetheless.

"I thought you... I thought I had..."

"I'm still here, Buck," she murmured, grabbing his hands gently. "But I'm not staying for long."

"What?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she sighed out, "I couldn't leave town without knowing you were alive and not under HYDRA anymore."

"I'm not, but I can tell The Solider is there somewhere. But, you can't leave. What are you talking about? I spent the last few days thinking that you were dead, and now you just pop out of nowhere, scaring the shit out of me, telling me you're alive and now..."

Lillian stroked the back of his hands gently before releasing them, slipping out of his hold and taking a few steps away, her eyes glistening with hot tears.

"I can't control her, Jaime. The Winter. That fall, it broke something in me, I can't control my temper, my emotions. When I woke up, and saw I was trapped inside something that felt so much like being in HYDRA, I-I can't lose anyone else I love."

"Then let me help you," he murmured, grabbing her face again, his gaze softening. It's been too long since he had seen his sister this broken and vulnerable.

"You're broken too."

Bucky snorted and smiled at his sister's brash but true words.

"Damn, doll, you got me there. Maybe we can help each other."

Lillian smiled softly and nodded, leaning into his body for a hug. She felt safer in her brothers warm embrace than she has in the past few days. She felt like a ticking time bomb, HYDRA under her skin, The Winter just begging to be let out any moment. But right now, she felt safe.

"Maybe," she whispered into his chest, her arms wrapping around his waist. "You know that they'll be looking for us, right?"

"Who? HYDRA or Steve?"

"Both."

"I'll make sure they don't find you, Lily. You're safe with me."

* * *

 **unedited**

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	29. 28

Bucky had taken his sister back to the abandoned train station he had found while on the run after the fight. She had been unusually quiet the whole walk there, and by the look on her face, he could only assume what she was thinking.

"Why are you so quiet, Lily?" he murmured softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer into his body.

Lillian sighed softly as she relaxed against his side, her arm automatically coming up to wrap around his waist.

"I am just thinking, Jaime," she replied just as soft, her voice almost muffled against his jacket. "About Steve, about HYDRA. Everything. I just can't get _it_ out of my head, she's always there."

Bucky knew that she was talking about The Winter, the assassin that laid inside of her. He still felt The Solider within him too, but not to the extent that she would talk about. She was ready to explode over the smallest of things, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop her. Or he would have to kill her to keep everyone safe.

"I won't let anyone hurt you, doll," he promised, rubbing her arms gently. He knew that she didn't believe him, but he didn't know what else to say that would prove himself.

Lillian was thinking about this whole situation, and she knew that she couldn't stay here. Not when she was so close to Steve. She knew that as soon as the Captain had heard of her escaping, he would be on the hunt. For the both of them. He wouldn't give up, and she knew that he would eventually find them.

She didn't want that.

Not when she was still under The Winter's control, her mindset embedded so deeply within her. She didn't want to risk it, she was too scared.

She made up her mind. She would leave when Bucky was asleep. It would hurt him, but it was better to rip off the bandaid as quickly as possible, that way she wouldn't draw out the pain. She's vanished multiple times before, and she always returned.

But maybe not this time.

Lillian was snapped out of her dark thoughts when Bucky opened a large metal door, revealing the dark and empty train station. There was only a dirty mattress and ratted blanket that adorned the room. An old train seemed to be rusted on the abandoned tracks, and the seats seemed to have been stolen and ripped out a long time ago.

It was sad.

"This is where you've been sleeping?"

"Well, I didn't have time to find a five star hotel, doll. Besides, I don't think they will accept my credit cards. "

She snorted in amusement, a small smile creeping on her face.

"Haven't been paying off your bills?" she sassed back, enjoying the light bickering.

Bucky nudged her gently and smiled, a light laugh escaping him. He had missed the days where they didn't have to worry about anything, where they could just be sarcastic and goofy. Before the war, before Steve turned into who he was, before he fell of the train, before...

"Jaime, are ya gonna give me a tour of this grand place?" Lillian said, bringing him back to the present.

"Whatcha see is whatcha get, sweetheart," he said in amusement, walking towards the mattress. "I haven't had the time to redecorate."

She hummed softly and moved with him, laying down just as he did. It was getting late, they had been walking for too long, and the sun had fallen long ago.

"Tired?" Bucky asked softly as she nuzzled into his side, the smile not leaving his face.

"Yeah," she lied, burying her face into his shoulder.

She planned on leaving as soon as she could, so she was taking this time to remember his scent, remember his warmth, just in case she didn't make it back.

"Then go to sleep, I'll watch after you," he yawned widely, his eyes starting to close.

"You go to sleep too, Buck," she murmured, trying not to seem tense.

Bucky just let out a soft hum in response, his chest slowly rising and falling as he started to fall asleep. Seconds melted into minutes, which dragged on to an hour. She wanted to make sure that he was asleep before she moved. He had to be a light sleeper, after years of being on the run.

Once he had been asleep for at least two hours, she started to slide out of his grip, which was much easier than she thought.

"Where are you going?" Bucky mumbled, his eyes staying closed as he shifted his body.

"Bathroom," she whispered, kissing his cheek, "go back to sleep."

She didn't even get a response, just a soft snore as he fell back asleep. She rose to her feet quietly, her eyes not leaving Bucky. Her jaw was clenched as a feeble attempt to keep the tears at bay.

She didn't allow herself to cry until she was miles away from the train station, away from her brother, away from Steve.

Steve awoke the next morning to harsh murmurs outside his door. His eyebrows furrowed as he strained to hear who was talking, and what they were saying. It sounded like Tony and Natasha, and they both sounded angry. It made his anxiety immediately skyrocket.

The door slowly creaked open, and Tony popped his head in, a fake smile across his face.

"Good morning, Spangles. How was your cat nap?" Tony said as he sauntered into the room, an angry Natasha stalking behind him.

"What were you two arguing about?" he said, ignoring the question.

"Ah, that? Nothing important, just that she took the last bag of chips in the vending mach-" his voice was cut off when Natasha swatted his arm.

"Ow! What the fu- fine, okay, whatever," Tony said, rubbing his arm as he walked to the other side of Steve's bed and away from the fiery redhead. "Truth is, Steve, we actually have some bad news for you."

Steve frowned at that and slowly sat up more in his bed, wincing at the slight pain in his lower stomach.

"Bad news? What news?" he grumbled, a long sigh escaping him which caused a shudder of pain to go through his body. "What could get worse?"

"Uh, well..." Tony coughed and rubbed his cheeks as he thought of a way to break the news to him. "Your, uh, girlfriend. Lillian? She uh, I guess she wasn't really dead after all because she seemed to have broken out of the chamber we had her in and she's gone."

Steve stared at him, processing his words. Anger flashed through his eyes, and he glanced at Natasha quickly, who wouldn't look up from the floor.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he spat, turning his glare back to Tony, "Another way to try and make me freak out? Because this isn't funny, Stark."

"No, it's not a joke," Tony murmured, casting his eyes down. "I'm really sorry Steve, but she escaped. We thought she was dead. I mean, this could be good news too, right? Maybe she'll come back?"

Steve leaned back into the pillows and closed his eyes, releasing a long breath through his nose.

"She's gone?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah."

"Then we need to find her."

"Fuck," Tony sighed, pulling out a twenty dollar bill and held it out to Natasha, who quickly grabbed it out of his hand and stuffed it into her bra. "I knew you were gonna say that."

* * *

 **unedited**

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	30. 29

Two months.

It's been two months since the fight in the hellicarrier where Steve lost not only Bucky, but Lillian too.

Two months since he saw her fall, assumingly to his death.

Two months since Tony told him that she was still alive.

They watched the security footage, and sure enough, they saw her escaping the cyro-tank she was kept in, a dazed look of confusion and anger evident on her bruised face. She didn't look like herself, and it was obvious that she was in The Winter mindset when she escaped.

Steve has been looking nonstop for the Barnes twins, with no leads, only being guided by his sheer will, determination, and love. Everyone told him to rest, wait until something popped up, but it fell upon deaf ears. He wasn't himself since he left the hospital. He felt like he lost most of himself after that fight.

It's been two months of absolute torture, and he didn't know how much longer he could survive like this.

"When was the last time you slept, Steve?" A voice interrupted his thoughts, and the super solider snapped his head up. Sam was watching him with concern-filled eyes, a frown tugging on his lips.

"I don't know. What day is it now?"

"Thursday."

"So then Monday... I think."

Sam sighed heavily as he shook his head, rubbing his chin in thought before he crossed his arms. He was voted to come talk some sense into his friend, everyone else too afraid of his violent outbursts that have been occurring more often every day.

"Maybe it'll be more beneficial if you took a break. Slept some. Wake up refreshed." Sam offered, though he knew what the answer was before Steve replied.

"I'll sleep when I find them. At least one of them," he snapped back, his body tensing up as he turned his attention back to the computer screen in front of him.

"Do you really think starving yourself and not sleeping is the best way to find two assassins who are not wanting to be found?"

Steve huffed angrily through his nose but didn't respond, his brain too muddled to come back with a snappy reply. Deep down, he knew that Sam was right. All of them were right, he needed to take a break, eat and sleep for once, but he just... _couldn't._

Sam slowly moved closer to him before sitting in the empty chair beside him, his eyes still trained on him in case Steve was to break.

"What if you do happen to find them? You don't have the strength to defend yourself."

"I can defend myself if need be, Sam," he hissed, glaring at the screen instead of glaring at his friend.

"And what about Lillian, hmm?" Sam continued on his short rant, "If she could see you know, what would she say? Do you think she would be happy that you have run yourself to the ground, not taking care of yourself? I think I've spent enough time with her to know she would have slapped you silly and-"

"STOP!" Steve yelled, slamming his fists against the glass table, shattering it as Sam flinched but didn't move away. The computer fell to his feet, but he didn't care. "Don't you think I _know_ that? Don't you think I know _exactly_ what she would say? But she's not here. We don't know where the fuck she is, and it's all my fault!" Sam clenched his jaw as Steve continued to get more angry, and the super soldier rose to his feet. "I could've held on, I could've saved the both of them, but she had to play hero and-"

"Steve, you need to sit back down-"

"NO!" Steve kicked the chair over, watching it fly across the room and into the wall. "I'm sick and tired of sitting and waiting! I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do!"

"And I'm sick and tired of you acting like a brat!" Sam yelled back, standing to his feet. "I'm sick and tired of you literally killing yourself to find people who obviously do not want to be found! Why can't you just see what you're doing to yourself? We're all worried about you."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows when Sam finally snapped at him, his chest heaving with each angry breath he took. Nobody has yet to actually yell at him for what he's been doing, and Sam was always the one that supported him through this, so he was taken back.

"You're just a shell of who you used to be. It's sad to watch you continue to follow this goose chase," Sam continued when he noticed Steve wasn't going to fight back. "How do you think I feel, watching you come back every night, that sad and pathetic look on your face. It's killing me."

Steve slowly started to frown, the anger melting out of his body as the words set in. Soon, his adrenaline dissipated, and he rubbed his forehead. He knew that his friends were all worried for it, but he didn't actually take a moment and realize just how bad it has gotten.

"Please," Sam saw how Steve's shoulders sagged, and he knew that he was winning this argument, "just take a break. Eat some pizza we ordered, and take a nap. Everything will still be here when you wake up."

Steve cast his eyes down to his feet and thought over everything that Sam had said. A few silent minutes passed between them before he looked up at his friend, a heavy sigh escaping him.

"You're right," he finally said, his voice flat and filled with fatigue. He was exhausted from the search, and he knew he was going to kill himself if he kept this up.

Sam frowned and moved forward, gripping his shoulder gently.

"We all care for you, and we want to help you," he whispered softly, "When you wake up, we will help you find them. We'll help you find her."

Steve nodded and gave him a small smile before walking out of the office he was in and towards his bedroom. The door shut softly behind him as he kicked his shoes off, and the moment his head hit the pillow, darkness engulfed him and he was asleep. What he had hoped to be a dreamless nap turned into a haunting nightmare.

 _When Steve opened his eyes, he was greeted with familiar warm brown ones, something that made his heart skip a beat._

 _"Lily?" his voice heavily laced with sleep. To say he was shocked was an understatement, and he quickly leaned up._

 _"Hey there, Stevie," she whispered, her voice smooth like honey, and it brought him back down to the bed._

 _"What? I don't understand..."_

 _Lillian reached over and gently stroked his cheek, leaving a trail of electricity wherever she touched._

 _"You stopped looking for me, Stevie. Why did you stop? I had to find you."_

 _Steve frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched her face crumble._

 _"No! I didn't stop! I would never stop looking-"_

 _"But you did," her harsh voice cut him off as she slowly sat up, her eyes darkening as they watched him sit up right after her. "Do you even love me, Stevie? We were supposed to get married, but you left me then too."_

 _"Doll, no!" He reached forward to gently grab her face, tears glistening in his eyes as panic started to take over. "I looked for you everywhere, but-"_

 _"But you stopped, Stevie," she hissed, grabbing both of his wrists with incredible strength, making him wince in pain. "And look what they did to me. Look what happened. This is all your fault."_

 _"I know," he whimpered in defeat, becoming numb to the pain that she was causing. Nothing could hurt worse than the heartbreak he was experiencing all over again. "But baby, please believe me, I never stopped-"_

 _"What are you doing now? You're not looking. I thought you loved me and Jaime."_

 _"I do but-"_

 _"But what, Stevie?" The tone of her voice made him wince again, and he noticed that her nails were breaking skin on his wrists, causing him to bleed. "You left me. You continue to leave me. Why?" Tears were starting to form in her eyes, and nothing made him feel as sick as seeing her break in front of him. "I don't deserve to be loved? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"_

 _"Lily flower, of course not! I love you so damn much-"_

 _"You're killing me, Stevie. You killed me before, and you're killing me now. It's your fault. It's always your fault. It will always be your fault."_

Steve sat up in a hot sweat, his breaths coming in short pants as he relived the nightmare that he just experienced. Her words and voice, laced with poison, was circling in his head over and over and over...

"Sir, I detect that your heart rate is accelerating at an unsafe rate. Must I alert Dr. Banner or Mr. Stark?" FRIDAY's voice cut through the thick air, causing him to flinch.

"N-No, no. I'll be fine," he whispered, out of breath.

He didn't even believe himself, but FRIDAY didn't push him any further. He pushed the blanket off his sweaty body and licked his dry lips, noticing that it was dark outside now. He must have been asleep much longer than he had planned, but nobody had tried to wake him up.

 _"It's always your fault."_

Her words kept circling in the air, and he swallowed thickly before forcing himself out of the bed. He stumbled into his bathroom, the light he turned on blinding him for a short moment before he got used to the harshness. His eyes flickered over the mirror, something he has been avoiding for sometime now, but when he saw what he looked like, he froze.

He was just a shell of a person at this point. His now dull eyes were sunken in, dark bags accenting his untrimmed beard and sharp cheek bones too well. While he wasn't skinny enough to see his ribs, he didn't have such defined muscles as he once had before. He looked sickly, like he would fall over and die at any given moment. This wasn't the Steve Rogers everyone knew. He didn't even know who he was looking at, and it terrified him. Everyone was right, he needed help.

But he couldn't stop hearing her words. He couldn't help but feel like he couldn't stop searching. His stomach twisted as a thought passed through his muddled mind. He was looking for her in different countries, different states, but what if she was hiding in plain sight?

"God dammit...she never left the city," he hissed, rushing out of the bathroom and out of his room, more determined than before to find Lillian.

He had to make everything right.

 _"It always will be your fault."_

* * *

 **unedited**

 **thank you for reading, favoriting, and commenting!**

 **I just moved into a new apartment, and I'll be starting my big girl job here pretty soon, so updates may be a bit weird. I'll try not to go MIA, so keep commenting and favoriting to show me you guys want this story!**


	31. 30

"I hate to rain on your parade, Spangles, but it's highly doubtful she's anywhere near here," Tony said as they both stared at the screens in front of them, all security footage within a thirty mile radius of the Tower displayed.

"I just have this feeling that she's nearby," Steve whispered softly, his eyes flickering through all the moving pictures. "Who else has been killing all the ex-STRIKE members that came out to be HYDRA? SHIELD doesn't exist anymore."

Tony sighed heavily as his gaze quickly glanced over to his friend, worry coursing through him, but he of course didn't vocalize it. He thought this was another dead end, a result of whatever nightmare he must have. FRIDAY had alerted him this morning, and he could see the dark bags still under the Captain's eyes.

"Well, I'm running facial recongition on every face the cameras face," he stated, concentrating back on the camera footage, "so if she passes by, we'll catch her." He had been searching for the unknown killer of these HYDRA agents, but the thought of it being Lillian never even crossed his mind.

Steve just gave him a silent nod, his face coming up to rub his scruffed jaw. He knew how he must have sounded, but something in the back of his mind just made him so sure that she has to be near.

Minutes ticked by agonizingly slow, silence filling the emptiness between the two of them, before someone cleared their throat.

"Steve, don't be so upset if we can't find her, okay?" Tony whispered, cringing to himself when he saw Steve tense up out of the corner of his eye. "I don't want you to get your hopes up just to see it crash dow-"

Tony couldn't finish his sentence before beeping from the computer interrupted him. He furrowed his eyebrows and brought up the camera footage that got a hit, his eyes widening slightly.

"Well, I'll be damned, Cap. Looks like you were right after all."

Steve grinned to himself and leaned forward, staring intently at the scene before him. The familiar brunette wasn't really attempting to hide herself, as the public only knew about Bucky and not her. Her gaze drifted up to the camera, and for a breif moment, it felt like she was looking at him. It felt like she knew they were watching, and she sent a small smirk before disappearing from the view of the camera.

"Where is that?" Steve demanded, standing up straight with his jaw clenched.

"Uhh..." Tony clicked a few buttons before giving him a response. "10 miles south, off the corner of Broadway." He hardly finished the directions before Steve had grabbed his shield and was heading to the door. "Wait! You shouldn't go alone! You don't know what mindset she is in, it could be dangerous."

"I don't care," Steve threw back behind his shoulder, clicking the elevator button to head down. He silently stepped in and made eye contact with Tony, who had pulled out his phone to alert the others. "I'm not losing her again."

The elevator doors closed, and Tony cursed under his breath. He sent the location of where they had seen Lillian to Sam and Natasha before heading towards the open balcony. There was no way he was going to let Steve handle this assassin by himself, so he pressed his updated arc reactor, his metal suit engulfing him, and jumped off the ledge.

Lillian stepped into an empty alley, her eyes glossed over as she looked around at her surroundings. She had noticed the cameras zooming in on pedestrians, and she knew that someone must have been searching for her or her brother. She took a chance, smiling at the lens at it caught her face. Someone, a group or person, would be coming after her. She wasn't too naive to think otherwise, but she was prepared.

The Winter had been itching for weeks to appear, and she had tried her best to keep it at bay, but it a moment of weakness, she had let the killer take over. She started killing again, though it was for good. At least, that is what she tells herself as he watches the life drain from her victims eyes. She had taken it upon herself to get revenge for the years of torture her and her brother has been through, and it obviously caught the attention of others.

She had been so caught up in her own mind, she almost didn't hear the soft footsteps echoing behind her. _Almost_.

A small smile crept up on her face as she slowly turned around, her gaze meeting the famous piercing blue eyes of Mr. America himself. Her emotions were bubbling up in her throat, but she forced herself to swallow them away. When The Winter had taken over, she became an empty shell once more. While she knew who Captain America was to her, she couldn't feel anything.

"Steve."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows at the cold, unemotional tone of her voice, his eyes raking quickly over her body. She didn't look broken or injured, and she didn't really look like The Winter either.

"Lily? Is it really you?" he whispered softly, his shield forgotten as it dropped from his hand. He had thought he would be strong, but seeing her _alive_ in front of him, all logic went out the window.

"I don't know who else it would be," she sassed, her eyebrow raising in amusement.

Steve laughed humorlessly and took a few more steps forward, though when he got to close, Lillian took a step back. He frowned to himself as his arms gently raised up.

"Lily, please," he murmured, his voice gentle and soft, which made her body relax for a moment before she tensed up again. "Come back to the Tower with me, let me help-"

"Help what, Cap?" she interrupted, tilting her head to the side. "I don't need help."

"This isn't you-" He was cut off by an unamused snort, and he clenched his jaw in irritation.

"But this is me, Steve," she replied, not letting him finish.

"Killing people? This isn't who you are Lily flower."

Lillian winched at the nickname, her stomach twisting in an emotion that she refused to let herself feel. Staring at the pleading Captain, worry and desperation shining in his eyes, made her uncomfortable with her life choices, but she forced herself to become more detached.

"I wouldn't call them people, they're monsters for what they've done."

Steve didn't like how she sounded, her voice flat and void of anything. He knew that she wasn't fully The Winter, because otherwise she would have attacked him, but looking into her dull eyes, he knew this wasn't fully his love.

"Just, come back with me, yeah?" He took a few more steps forward. "Let us help you find the rest of HYDRA, take them down together. You don't have to do this alone."

Lillian flickered her eyes over his body as she took another step back, noticing how fragile he looked. His hair was styled, it was sticking in various directions, and the bags under his eyes made her think he hasn't been sleeping. He was weak, and he seemed to be begging, something not like him.

"I can't, Rogers," she mumbled, watching him wince at her calling him by his last name, something she only has used once, when they were fighting.

"If you won't come willingly, I'll have to take you in. I don't want to do that."

"Are you even capable of that?"

"He might not be," another voice cut in, making her whip her head behind her. "But we certainly are."

Natasha had managed to creep up behind her, Tony and Sam perched up on the building above. Lillian had been too focused on Steve, her senses weren't paying attention to her surroundings.

She clenched her jaw and glared back in Steve's direction, assuming this was all an elaborate plan. Steve's eyes were wide when he saw that his friends had come, but deep down, he was relieved. There was no way he could take her on alone, but with back up, he felt certain he was going to get Lillian back.

"Please, Lily," he said, begging one last time for her to come on her own, "let us help."

Lillian looked back at Natasha, whose body was in a fighting stance. Her eyes flickered above her, zeroing in on the two men that were ready to fly down in a moment's notice. After a heavy exhale, she turned her attention back to the man she had loved, a smirk growing on her painted lips.

"Come and get me, Cap."

* * *

 **unedited**

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	32. 31

Steve clenched his jaw, his eyes never leaving hers, as he started to advance towards her. If she wanted to be stubborn, then he would have to be stubborn.

The moment Lillian saw Steve start to get closer, she swung her arm backwards, connecting to Natasha's face. She wasn't worried about Steve, she knew that he would never actually hurt her. The redhead, on the other hand, was a different story.

Natasha was shocked, to say the least, that Lillian had attacked her first. Of course, she shouldn't have been as she was the biggest threat to Lillian at the moment. She would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed. Her foot swung out, attempting to knock Lillian off her feet, but she easily jumped over it.

Lillian took the opportunity to kick Natasha in the back the moment her own feet landed on the ground, causing the other assassin to lose balance and fall into the nearby wall. Steve grabbed Lillian's arm and pulled her into his body, his free hand grabbing her face to make her look at him.

"Lily, doll, please," he tried to beg one last time before Natasha got up, but it was no use.

Lillian brought her knee up and slammed it into his stomach, not getting the chance to watch him drop before she was being pulled back by her hair. Her hands went up and grabbed Natasha's wrists, prying her fingers off of her as the redhead kicked her in the back of her knee, causing her to drop.

As Lillian fell, she caught sight of Steve on the ground, his dull eyes connecting with her. Something in her stomach twisted painfully, her breath leaving her lungs, and she stopped fighting. An old memory surfaced, a tragic feeling she had felt before coming to light again.

Natasha noticed the lack of struggled, and she took the opportunity to grab a pair of cuffs similar to the ones they used on Loki years before, and attached them to her. Her suspicions were high, and she was curious as to why she had stopped fighting so early into the altercation. Tony and Sam dropped down, Sam grabbing Lillian's arm to pull her up to her feet, and he shot Natasha a worried glance.

"That was quick," he commented, though his worry was evident in the tone of his voice.

Steve slowly stood to his feet and stood in front of her, catching a flash of emotion from Lillian's eyes before it retreated, and they hardened over.

"Too quick," he whispered, confusion evident in his own eyes, but no one commented any further as they led her back to the tower, eager for questioning.

* * *

 **unedited and short**

 **sorry for the filler! I am getting my class ready for school to start, and have been busy!**

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